Generation Beta
by Blue Phoenix 12
Summary: Sonic the Hedgehog was the greatest hero the world ever knew. Now, years later, his son wants to follow in his footsteps, and make a great name for himself. What new adventures does the future hold for the world's next generation of heroes?
1. New Beginnings

Some months ago, I wrote a long, chaptered fanfiction based on the "Sonic the Hedgehog" series. It took me several weeks of brainstorming, typing and editing to complete it. After having posted this story in the Fanfiction forum of the message board community "The Ultimate Chao Garden" and receiving excellent feedback on it from the readers there, I have decided to publish it for a broader audience on a fanfiction site. The story contains 24 chapters total plus an epilogue, and one new chapter will be published every day until I reach the end of the fanfiction. I hope you like it!

The first few chapters will serve to introduce the characters and explain a bit about their backgrounds, presented in five-year leaps; the real story will begin when the characters of Generation Beta are 15 years old. Before I actually begin publishing it, however, I would like to present an introduction to the story itself. The following notes should be observed before one begins reading the fanfiction. Please read with care. Thank you!

- My story takes place in a world where humans and anthropomorphic animals coexist. Only animals are found in Green Hill, which is where Sonic and his friends live. Humans can be found in other cities, such as Station Square.

- In real life, different animals have different lifespans and gestation periods. For the purposes of this story, I have taken into consideration the fact that the animal characters are all anthropomorphic, and therefore they all have lifespans and gestation periods equal to those of humans, i.e. a nine-month gestation period and an average life expectancy of approximately 75 years.

- I have changed Tails's age from seven years younger than Sonic to three years younger than Sonic, in order to make the story more plausible.

- Many people have raised the question of whether or not Knuckles and Tikal are related. In the universe described in my story, Knuckles and Tikal are in no way related to one another. Although they are descended from the same tribe, the tribe leaders were of one bloodline while the Master Emerald guardians were of another. In the past, it was also customary for echidna couples to have only one child; therefore, Tikal was the last of her bloodline, and she had no siblings, aunts or uncles which could have been Knuckles's ancestors.

- Yes, Shadow _can_ procreate. Enough said.

- References have been made in other media about Sonic having parents and siblings. In my story, Sonic is an only child, and at the most, only vague references are made to his parents.

- Although they are not related by blood, Sonic and Tails are considered brothers. Every reference made to both their families in my story is based on the fact that Sonic adopted Tails as his little brother, and therefore the two are considered family to each other.

And so begins my story: "Generation Beta". Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

Sonic the Hedgehog had made his final stand as a hero. His archenemy, Dr. Eggman, had put another of his plans for world domination into action, and the hedgehog had foiled him once again. The mad scientist had used an enormous contraption of his own design to try and take control of the planet from outer space, and had come dangerously close to reaching his goal. He had also come close to actually defeating and possibly killing Sonic, thus removing all obstacles from his path of wicked ambition.

But Sonic would not be defeated. As he lay gravely injured before the laughing Eggman, he had drawn strength from the persistent encouragement of his surrounding friends, who never lost faith in him, even when he had almost lost it in himself. The blue hedgehog managed to pick himself up, draw energy from the Chaos Emeralds being used to power the scientist's machine, and transform himself into his super form. Using Chaos Control, he completely destroyed Eggman's space station, and teleported his friends to safety just before the explosion. Eggman, who couldn't possibly have made it out of the space station in time, was presumed dead.

It had been Sonic's final stand as a hero. He was twenty years old at the time.

---

The time was now five years later. Sonic was sitting in a waiting room with his friends Tails the Fox and Knuckles the Echidna. He was more nervous than he had ever been before in his life, and couldn't stop fidgeting in his chair. His friends tried to calm him down, but their attempts were made in vain, because no amount of calming words can relax a person sitting in a hospital waiting to hear about his wife.

After several minutes, the doctor finally came into the room and walked over to Sonic. The hedgehog stood up to meet her, and voiced the question he had been desperate to ask since the last time she had left the room:

"How is Amy?"

The doctor replied with a smile and a straight answer:

"She's ready. 10 centimeters."

Sonic's eyes widened, and he slowly turned around to face the fox and the echidna, a distant look in his eyes. When he finally found his voice, he simply whispered:

"I'm gonna be a father."

And he followed the doctor to the delivery room, Tails and Knuckles grinning at him as they watched him disappear into the hallway.

---

Several months ago, Sonic had a life-changing experience. His wife, Amy Rose, who was already three months pregnant, had called him into their living room to tell him something important.

"Sonic", the pink hedgehog said slowly, "I went to the doctor's today, and... I found out what our baby is going to be."

"You did?" Sonic replied, surprised. "What is it?"

"It's going to be..." Amy said, smiling brightly, "... a boy."

The blue hedgehog could hardly believe his ears. He was so happy, he almost stood up and did a back flip right there in the living room. But Amy wasn't done yet.

"And a girl", she finished.

These last words caused Sonic to freeze, his eyes wide with shock. A boy _and_ a girl?

"Twins?" he breathed disbelievingly. "_Twins_?"

Amy grinned and nodded, repeating the wonderful word back to her husband, "Twins."

It was incredible. The blue hedgehog placed his hand over his wife's belly, inside which his children were growing. Sonic had just become the happiest hedgehog in the world.

---

Six months after the conversation, Sonic and Amy found themselves in a private hospital room, each one holding a sleeping baby hedgehog in their arms. In Sonic's arms lay the couple's son, and in Amy's, their daughter. The boy was lavender in color while the girl was a lighter lilac, and each child had green eyes, just like their parents.

Amy looked down at the little girl in her arms as she lay in her bed, then gazed up at her husband, who was sitting by her side.

"Have we decided, then?" she asked him, smiling. "Should we call them in now?"

Sonic looked his wife in her eyes, and, smiling back at her, nodded. So Amy had all their friends, who had been waiting outside eagerly to see the babies, brought into the room.

One by one, they filed in slowly. First came Tails and his wife, Roxanne, who had the bulging belly of her seventh month of pregnancy. Behind them came Knuckles, followed by his wife, Tikal, who was carrying their eight-month-old son, Rex, in her arms. Finally, Cream the Rabbit entered the room, with her boyfriend, David, and her recently evolved Hero Flying Chao, Cheese.

The friends all gathered around the new parents, who were beaming brightly at them all. Everyone was excited to see the little twin hedgehogs.

"Have you chosen names yet?" asked Cream. Her question caught everybody's attention, and they all stared quietly at Sonic and Amy. The hedgehogs nodded.

"We've decided to name the girl Lily", said Amy happily. "I've always wanted to name my daughter that, ever since I was a young girl myself."

"And what about the boy?" said Knuckles curiously. At this, Sonic and Amy exchanged glances, smiling at each other before turning back to everyone else.

"Miles", said Sonic plainly.

Everyone now turned their attention from the blue hedgehog holding his newborn son to the two-tailed fox standing by his own pregnant wife. They were all surprised by this incredibly kind gesture, especially Tails, who had never felt so honored in his life.

"After me?" he whispered in shock. Tails's real name was Miles Prower, and the fact that his best friend wanted to give his son the same name was unbelievably moving.

"Of course!" said Sonic, and he proceeded to explain. "We wanted to give our son a name he could live up to. And what better namesake to live up to... than his Uncle Tails?"

"You guys, I'm so touched!" replied Tails, a tear just visible forming in the corner of his eye. "Thank you so much!"

"It was Sonic's idea", Amy told the fox. "And I agreed there was no better name for our son."

Tails reached his hands out to the baby boy still in Sonic's arms.

"May I?" he asked the boy's father. Sonic nodded his approval, and carefully passed his son over to his brother.

"Hey there, Miles", the fox whispered to his nephew. "I'm your Uncle Tails. You know, your dad is a hero, the fastest hedgehog in the world. And you're gonna grow up to be just like him. You're destined to be great, just like your father, Sonic the Hedgehog."

Tails looked up and smiled at his best friend before adding, "I know you are."

And so was born the next generation of the greatest heroes the world would ever know.


	2. Young Dreams

Chapter 2 - Young Dreams

Five years and two months after the birth of his twin children, Sonic the Hedgehog was sitting at a table outside the local school with his wife, Amy Rose, waiting for the day's classes to finish. Sitting with them at the table were their friends: Tails the Fox and his wife, Roxanne, who was sitting with their one-year-old son, Aaron, in her lap; Knuckles the Echidna and his wife, Tikal; and Cream the Rabbit and her second-evolved Hero Flying Chao, Cheese. The friends were all waiting for their children to leave the classroom at the end of the day, except for Cream, who had no children of her own yet and was just keeping the rest company while her fiancé, David, worked as a chef in a restaurant called the Lucky Rabbit.

The bell rang throughout the building, and a few minutes later, children came pouring out into the schoolyard, meeting their parents there and making their way home. In the middle of the crowd, the four children Sonic and his friends had been waiting for came running to the couples' table: the Hedgehog twins, Miles and Lily; Tails's and Roxie's daughter, Sonia Prower; and the Echidnas' son, Rex. Each child was carrying with them a piece of paper with a colored drawing on it.

The five-year-old children reached the adults' table, and each one rushed directly to their respective parents. As the adults greeted them happily, the kids proceeded to show them the drawings in their hands.

"What are these?" Amy asked curiously, taking the piece of paper from her daughter's hand.

"We made these in school today", Lily explained.

"We all had to draw a picture about what we want to be when we grow up", added Sonia, handing her own drawing to her father.

The parents all looked over their children's work. Amy smiled as she stared at the picture of her daughter wearing a white coat and stethoscope and standing by a hospital bed; Lily wanted to be a doctor. The young hedgehog had a fascination with Science, and wanted to spend her life helping people and saving lives. Like her mother, she was intuitive and had a knack for helping those who were hurt. More than once, her parents had caught her looking over a small creature she had found lying injured on the ground, trying to make it better. So, naturally, Medicine seemed the obvious career choice for Lily.

Tails beamed brightly at his daughter's drawing of herself in an airplane; Sonia's dream was to be an engineer and a pilot. Like her father, she had been born with two tails instead of one, and had acquired a great interest in technology and aviation from an early age. Her parents had decided to keep her gender a surprise until the day she was born, and once they knew she was a girl, Tails immediately wanted to name her Sonia. The reason he had chosen this name was because its first four letters were the same as those of the name of his best friend and big brother, who, two months prior to the birth of the Prowers' child, had honored Tails by naming his newborn son Miles. The two-tailed fox wanted to repay his brother in the same way, and therefore Sonia was the best name he could give his daughter.

Tails's wife glanced at the drawing still in his hands, then smiled and hugged her daughter with her one free arm. Roxie was a music teacher, and though she would have been proud to see a picture of Sonia playing a musical instrument, she was happy to know that her daughter wanted to follow the same dreams as at least one of her parents.

"I still have a chance with you, sweetie", she said to the little boy in her lap, laughing. If she got her wish, the one-year-old would take an interest in music as he grew older, and might even want to take up an instrument professionally.

Aaron, like his mother and unlike his sister, had only one tail. His name had been chosen by Roxie, who had always wanted to name her son after her cousin, her role model and the one who had first inspired her to pursue a career in music. The little boy pointed to the piece of paper in his father's hand and babbled simply, "Ehw-pwayn."

Knuckles proudly patted his son on the head as he observed his drawing of an enormous green emerald, surrounded by several different sports balls; Rex wanted to be a sports player, but he also wanted to make his dad happy by becoming a guardian of the Master Emerald. His whole life, the young echidna had been taught about his ancestors, the echidna tribe whose most important task was to protect the Master Emerald from all potential threats. The fact that Rex wanted to embrace his heritage and follow in his father's footsteps made Knuckles and Tikal extremely proud.

But no parent was prouder or more touched by their child's drawing than Sonic. He was staring down at the picture his son had made, barely able to speak. On the piece of paper was a drawing of a blue hedgehog with green eyes and red running shoes, standing next to a smaller hedgehog, who was lavender in color and had equally green eyes. Sonic looked down at Miles and pointed at the blue hedgehog on the paper.

"Is this me?" he asked his son, though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah", Miles replied, smiling. "We were supposed to make drawings about what we wanna be when we grow up... and I wanna be just like you, Daddy."

Sonic didn't know what to say. He looked back at the drawing of himself and his son, then placed it on the table and picked Miles up, placing the boy in his lap. The blue hedgehog grinned as he hugged his five-year-old child, and Amy smiled at the pair of them. Sonic had many admirers and had received several awards for his heroic deeds in the past, but the fact that his own son wanted to be like him when he grew up was the highest honor he could ever have hoped for.

"I love it", he told Miles. "Thank you, son."

Suddenly, somebody called out Sonic's name. The hedgehog looked to his left to find the speaker, and noticed a familiar face staring back at him from a short distance away. It was a black hedgehog, with red highlights in his quills and irises of the same color: Shadow the Hedgehog.

Sonic lifted Miles off his lap and placed him on the ground again. He then stood up and walked over to Shadow, who was beckoning him with his finger. When he was standing in front of his old rival, Sonic noticed two other hedgehogs standing several feet behind him. One of them was Shadow's wife, a blue-eyed white hedgehog named Crystal. The white hedgehog was holding a much younger hedgehog by the hand, who was light gray in color and had dark blue eyes and faded red highlights in her quills. This was Shadow's daughter, Maria, named after her father's dearest friend, who had sacrificed herself to save his life over fifty years ago.

"Hi, Shadow!" said Sonic, turning back to the black hedgehog. "What's up?"

Shadow glanced back at his wife and daughter before turning his full attention to the blue hedgehog in front of him.

"Sonic..." he said slowly, as though trying to organize his thoughts, "... something has come up. I've been assigned to a special mission, one I've been told I'm needed on. I'm being relocated to a new city, which means my family and I will be leaving Green Hill soon."

Shadow was an agent working for the Guardian Unit of Nations, more commonly known as G.U.N. Being relocated in order to carry out a mission was simply part of the job. Sonic considered what his friend had just said, then proceeded to ask follow-up questions.

"When are you leaving?"

"We'll be gone by the end of the week."

"Where are you moving to?"

"Station Square."

"Again? You just moved back from Station Square three years ago!"

"I know, but that's where G.U.N.'s base is, so that's where I have to go."

"Well, would you like us to throw you guys a going-away party?" said the blue hedgehog, indicating his friends sitting at the table behind him. Shadow shook his head.

"No", he replied seriously. "The relocation has to be as discreet as possible. We can't have a party or anything like that; it would draw too much attention."

"So, did you just want to let us know you're leaving this week? Or is there anything you need before you go?"

"Actually, there is. I needed to ask you a favor before we left."

Shadow picked up a small black bag from the ground by his side. He unzipped the main compartment, reached in, and slowly extracted a silver gemstone from its interior: a Chaos Emerald.

"I can't take this with me when I move. If G.U.N. finds out I have it, they'll start asking questions. I need you to hold on to this for me, at least until I come back. That is, if I ever do come back", he added bitterly.

The black hedgehog replaced the Chaos Emerald in the compartment, then handed the bag to Sonic. The blue hedgehog took the bag slowly and carefully, as though shaking it roughly would cause it to explode.

"How long will you be gone?" he asked, concerned. Shadow shrugged.

"Don't know. It could be as long as ten years, maybe more. But we'll see. For now, just focus on keeping the Emerald safe. I know it's best to keep them all close together. Who knows, you might need them again someday."

Sonic understood Shadow's intentions. After his enemy, Dr. Eggman, had been defeated for the last time, the Chaos Emeralds had fallen from the exploding space station to the planet below, scattering across the hedgehog's homeland. Led by Knuckles, Sonic and his friends all managed to gather the seven gemstones before anyone else had found them. They had then decided to hide the gems from the rest of the world, in order to prevent them from being used by someone else with bad intentions.

Two of the Chaos Emeralds were with Sonic and Amy, stored in separate chests in their bedroom closet. One of them was with Tails and Roxie, hidden in the back of a storage room in Tails's workshop with all of his spare machine parts. One of them was in Knuckles's and Tikal's house, hidden inside a shrine Tikal had made to honor her ancestors. One of them was with Cream and David, stuffed inside the Angel Chaos Chao doll in Cream's Chao doll collection. One of them was being kept in the temple on Angel Island, to which Knuckles still had access. And the last one, which was previously being kept with Shadow and Crystal, was now in the bag in Sonic's hand.

The blue hedgehog lifted the bag slightly with his left hand, and smiled at the black hedgehog.

"Don't worry", he said reassuringly. "I'll take good care of it."

Sonic extended his free hand to his old rival. Shadow extended his own hand back and shook the blue hedgehog's.

"Good-bye, Shadow. The best of luck to you and your family."

Shadow responded with a simple nod and a subtle smile, then turned and walked back to his wife and five-year-old daughter. Sonic returned to the table in the now empty schoolyard, and sat back down next to his own wife and children. When he was in his seat again, the blue hedgehog looked over at his friend, who was walking away with his family back to his home. As he watched him disappear into the distance, Sonic couldn't help but wonder if he would ever see his friend again, and what exactly the future held for Shadow the Hedgehog.


	3. The Track Race

Chapter 3 - The Track Race

Five more years had passed since the day Sonic and his friends had looked over their children's drawings of what they wanted to become when they grew older. The kids were now ten years old, and attending the local elementary school. Their dreams had not strayed much since they handed the pictures to their parents half a decade ago; if anything, they had grown stronger.

Lily Rose Hedgehog and Sonia Prower were both honor roll students, as well as cousins and best friends. Lily had the highest grades of the class in Science, while Sonia held the reputation as the class's Math wiz. But as much as the girls were alike, their differences were greater still. The young hedgehog was very neat, and enjoyed activities like singing, reading and cooking with her mother in their kitchen at home. The fox, on the other hand, was a tomboy; she enjoyed getting her hands dirty, and spent much of her spare time building model airplanes with her father. The differences between the two girls, however, only seemed to strengthen their friendship.

Rex Echidna was almost a year older than his friends. He was the typical butch type, a boy who enjoyed sports above all other activities. He was not, however, a bully; quite the contrary, in fact: he was sort of an "anti-bully". Rex did not like tough kids who picked on smaller children for fun, and more than once had come to the aid of a defenseless kid being teased or threatened by bullies. The young echidna thought of these mean kids as nothing but posers, and saw it almost as his responsibility to protect the small children from such threats. His father was quite proud of his behavior, for he saw it as a type of "training" for his son's future as a Master Emerald guardian.

But of the four ten-year-old children who had shared their dreams with their parents five years previously, Miles Sonic Hedgehog was the most determined to reach his goal. While his twin sister wanted to become a doctor, his cousin wanted to be an engineer, and his best friend wanted to pursue a career in sports, the young hedgehog wished for nothing more than to live up to his father's image.

Sonic the Hedgehog was famous across the land for the heroic deeds he had fulfilled when he was younger. He had rescued numerous people from peril, defeated hundreds of dangerous enemies, and saved the world from the evil Dr. Eggman too many times to count. Now his son was trying to follow his example, and wanted to make a great name for himself.

Unfortunately for Miles, he still hadn't gotten a chance to really prove himself. For years he had been waiting for an opportunity to show everyone that he had the potential to be as great as his dad, but such an opportunity had never come. Until, so Miles hoped, today.

The young hedgehog was standing on the starting line of the school's track, waiting for the race to start. He had signed up for the track team, and had been accepted after undergoing a minor tryout involving a race with all the other kids who had signed up. Everyone's expectations regarding Miles had been high; they were sure he had inherited his father's special traits. But Miles had not finished first in that race, nor had he shown any signs of possessing the same abilities as Sonic. He made the track team with a speed and time achievable by any other ten-year-old boy in the school.

The difference between Miles and these other boys, however, was that they didn't have fathers who were famous for their speed. The young hedgehog had become the focus of taunts from some of the meaner kids in the school, especially the boys who had outrun him in the tryout race and were now standing next to him behind the starting line.

"Hey, Miles", said Eugene Princeton, the young purple cat who had won the tryout race. "Hope you didn't fill up at lunch, 'cause you're about to eat my dust."

His friends beside him started laughing, as though the cat's joke was actually funny. Miles ignored the comment, staring straight ahead towards the finish line positioned exactly 100 meters away. He felt especially nervous today, but his anxiety had nothing to do with the mean kids teasing him, or the expectations his coach still had about him. Young Miles was nervous because his role model was present to watch the race; looking up into the crowd of spectators, the young hedgehog could see his father sitting in the stands, along with the rest of his family and their friends.

Some time before the race, Sonic had taken his son aside to talk to him. There was something he felt Miles needed to understand before he committed to any big decisions.

"Son, I hope you're not participating in this race just to try and impress me. You know I'm already extremely proud of you, right?"

"I know, Dad", Miles answered truthfully. Sonic had always made it a point to let his kids know how much he loved them, and that they didn't need to constantly make an effort to try and earn his pride and respect.

"Good", Sonic continued, "because if that were the reason, I would ask you to drop out. If I expected you to become famous for being able to run at supersonic speeds, I would have named you Sonic Jr."

Miles could tell where the conversation was going, and filled in the next line for his dad:

"But you didn't. You named me Miles instead."

"That's right. Do you know why?"

In fact, Miles did not know exactly why he had been given that particular name. All he knew was that it was the same name as his dad's best friend and adopted brother.

"Because of Uncle Tails, right?"

"Right. You see, when your Uncle Tails was about your age, he used to be picked on by other kids. They made fun of him because he had two tails instead of one, and they made him feel like he wasn't good enough to hang out with normal people. They made him feel like an outsider, a freak.

"As it turned out, Tails really wasn't as good as any of the other kids; he was better. When I met him, he was sitting around all alone, feeling sorry for himself. I took him under my wing, I helped him get up on his feet and chase his dreams, and after he realized his true potential, he reached heights you wouldn't believe. Your Uncle Tails is one of the greatest people I know, and he got where he is today because, ever since we became best friends, he never stopped believing in himself.

"That's the kind of future I want for you, son. And that's why I named you Miles. Have faith in yourself, son, and you'll make me proud no matter what place you finish in."

Miles thought back on that conversation as he looked up into the stands at his dad. Sonic looked back at his son, smiled, and gave him the thumbs-up. The young hedgehog smiled back, then proceeded to look around to see everyone else he knew who was watching.

His mother, Amy, was sitting beside Sonic. Next to them were Tails and Roxanne, and on their other side, Knuckles and Tikal. Sitting beside the foxes were the newlywed rabbit couple, Cream and David, and sitting in Cream's lap was Cheese, the couple's recently evolved Angel Chaos Chao. In the row in front of the adults, each sitting in front of their respective parents, were the couples' children: Miles's cousins, Sonia and her six-year-old brother, Aaron; his twin sister, Lily; and his best friend, Rex.

Miles turned back to face the finish line, his father's lecture playing itself over and over again in his head. He started warming up a bit, bouncing in place in the old red running shoes his dad had given him when he made the track team: Sonic's first pair of running shoes. The hedgehog didn't hear the mean cat teasing him, or the other boys laughing. Of all the comments regarding his speed or potential that could have stuck themselves within his mind, Miles could only hear one of them clearly: Sonic's.

"Have faith in yourself, son, and you'll make me proud no matter what place you finish in."

"I will make you proud, Dad", Miles whispered determinedly. "I promise."

Suddenly, the track team coach began calling all the boys into order. The kids participating in the race positioned themselves in their respective lanes, readying themselves at their marks. When all the boys were in place, the coach lifted his flare. This is it, Miles thought as he stared across the track before him. It's now or never...

BANG!

The boys were off in half a second. Eugene took an early lead, a couple of other boys running close behind him. Miles was in fourth, a few paces behind the first three racers. It was a short race, so it seemed the results were already decided.

And then something amazing happened. As Miles fixed his gaze on the finish line and focused entirely on crossing it as fast as he could, he suddenly felt a great rush within him. His heart rate quickened, and his feet began to pick up by a pace or two. The hedgehog saw the finish line approaching much faster than before. He left one of the boys previously ahead of him behind, then another... until finally, he was racing neck and neck with the purple cat who had teased him at the starting line only minutes ago.

Miles had been concentrating hard on reaching the finish line, but now he spared a single glance to his left at Eugene. The cat couldn't believe his eyes as he realized who it was running beside him. The hedgehog smiled slyly at his rival, and although he didn't say a word, Eugene could almost hear Miles's taunt:

"Who's eating whose dust now?"

And with that, Miles turned back to the finish line, picking up speed and sprinting the last several feet to his goal. The lavender hedgehog crossed the line nearly two full body lengths ahead of Eugene, who finished in second. The race was over, and Miles had won.

The entire audience cheered for the hedgehog as the rest of the racers crossed the finish line. All of the boys on the track were exhausted from the race, except for young Miles, whose deep breathing was purely a consequence of the rush he had received from achieving his goal. Looking up into the crowd, in the middle of all his family and friends, the ten-year-old hedgehog saw his father standing up and staring bewildered back at him.

When Miles had begun to pick up speed in the middle of the race, Sonic had subconsciously stood up, and had begun cheering him on harder than ever in his excitement. Now that the race was over, the blue hedgehog was now grinning broadly down at his son on the track.

Several minutes later, the young hedgehog's family and friends rushed out onto the track to congratulate him on his victory. Lily gave her brother a big hug, and Amy kissed her son on the cheek. After that, the boy's father picked him up in a huge and potentially bone-crushing embrace; it was the happiest moment either of them could ever remember living. Miles had kept his promise; Sonic had never felt prouder in his life.


	4. Miles's Choice

Chapter 4 - Miles's Choice

Five years, four months and two weeks had passed since Miles had won the track race that had changed his life. He, Lily and Sonia were now at the age of fifteen. Rex, who had completed another year of life three months previously, was now sixteen. Winter had come and gone in Green Hill, and spring was just beginning to show its lovely face to the peaceful neighborhood. Spring always came earlier in Green Hill then it did for the rest of the lands around the town. This particular day in March was quite beautiful, as flowers were blooming along the hills, and the air was sweet with the scent of fresh beginnings.

However, there were two people who did not have time to stop and smell these scents today. One of them was Sonic, the other was Knuckles. They had simply passed the flowers by on their way to the local high school, barely sparing them a glance. The hedgehog and the echidna were not in the mood to savor spring, because the reason they were currently walking through the waiting room beyond the longest hallway in the school was occupying all their thoughts. Today was simply not a good day for them. Unfortunately, the same could be said for their sons.

Sonic briskly opened the door at the end of the waiting room, and he and Knuckles stepped through the doorway into the next room. On one side was a large wooden desk, with several office supplies placed upon it in an organized fashion. On the other side, two chairs had been placed in front of the desk. Seated at the desk was a great horned owl in a blue blazer; the school's principal, Mr. Hornsby. Sitting in the two chairs, covered in scratches and bruises, were Miles Sonic Hedgehog and Rex Echidna.

Everyone in the room turned to face the doorway as the blue hedgehog and the red echidna stepped inside. Each father spared his son a look of disappointment and subtle anger before turning to the principal.

"Yes, Mr. Hornsby", Sonic said, keeping his voice in a calm range. "You called us?"

"Yes", the principal replied, then indicated the spare chairs behind Miles and Rex. "Please, have a seat."

Sonic and Knuckles each pulled up a chair next to their respective son and sat down. Mr. Hornsby cleared his throat and continued.

"Mr. Hedgehog, Mr. Echidna, I have called you both here to discuss the behavior of your sons. It seems your boys were caught fighting in the schoolyard during gym class this afternoon, with a Mr. Eugene Princeton and a Mr. Alex Crocodile."

Sonic and Knuckles glanced at each other, then at their sons. They had already presumed the boys had been fighting; Miles had a black eye, and Rex had a cut lip. Their rivals, Eugene and Alex, had been passed in the waiting room by Sonic and Knuckles a minute ago. Both boys were in the same state as the young hedgehog and the young echidna: scratched and bruised all over. The cat had a bloody nose, while the crocodile had a twisted ankle.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Hornsby", said Sonic to the principal. "It isn't like my son to fight in school. I don't know what could have gotten into him."

"It's Eugene's fault!" Miles exclaimed indignantly. "He started it! Don't apologize, Dad!"

"Young man, please", Mr. Hornsby said patiently. "Calm down."

"But he's right, Mr. Hornsby!" said Rex. "Eugene and Alex are the ones who should be punished! Miles was just-"

But the young echidna was stopped by his father, who placed his hand on his son's shoulder and advised him to keep quiet.

"It doesn't matter, Mr. Echidna", the principal replied calmly. "The four of you were fighting, so you're all at fault here. We have strict rules here at Emerald High."

For the next twenty minutes, the adults discussed the day's event while the teenage boys sat back in their seats with their arms crossed, angry expressions on their faces. When the conversation was over, Sonic and Knuckles stood up slowly, each one taking his respective son by the arm and coaxing him out of his chair. Both fathers apologized profusely to the principal, and assured him that they would discipline the boys appropriately.

Mr. Hornsby stood up and opened the door of his office for the two hedgehogs and the two echidnas.

"I'll see you boys in detention tomorrow", said the principal sternly to the boys as they passed him on their way out the door.

Sonic, Knuckles, Miles and Rex all made their way through the waiting room, where they passed Eugene and Alex, sitting in the chairs lined along the wall with their fathers, Preston Princeton the Cat and Vector the Crocodile. As the next line of fathers and sons entered the principal's office, the Hedgehogs and the Echidnas left the room and walked back down the hallway just as the dismissal bell rang to signal the end of classes for the day.

Sonic stopped by one of the classroom doors in the school to wait for his daughter and niece. Lily and Sonia stepped out into the rapidly crowding hallway along with the rest of their class, and found the two hedgehogs and the two echidnas waiting for them nearby. The party of six then made their way home in silence, an air of awkwardness and deepest disappointment lingering among them.

As they neared their homes, the Echidnas separated from the group to walk back to their house. Muttering could be heard from Knuckles as he began to scold Rex, but the sound was soon lost as the father-son pair disappeared down the path away from the others. After the Echidnas left the party, Sonic dropped Sonia off at her house, then took his own two children home.

Amy was standing just outside the kitchen as her husband, son and daughter walked through the front door. She watched them file into the living room with uneasy expressions on their faces; first Lily, then Miles, and finally Sonic. The twins quickly greeted their mother, then began to walk up the stairway close to the front door, making for their respective bedrooms. Lily was free to go, but her brother wasn't off the hook just yet.

"Miles Sonic Hedgehog!" came Sonic's harsh tone in Miles's ears. "Get back here, young man!"

The 15-year-old hedgehog froze where he stood on the stairs. Sighing deeply, he turned around slowly to face his father, who was staring at him angrily from the living room below. Miles then began to step heavily down towards his parents, noticing as he did so that each one was wearing a different expression of disappointment. Sonic was standing with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed, while Amy had a soft touch of sadness and shame upon her features.

Miles walked into the living room in an irritated manner, and dropped down onto the couch towards which his father was now pointing him. Once the teenage hedgehog was seated with his own arms crossed, Sonic proceeded to discuss the day's event with him.

"What happened today, son?" the blue hedgehog asked, genuinely confused. "You've never gotten into a fight at school before. This isn't like you at all!"

It was true; Miles was not the type of boy who often engaged in physical combat. He and Eugene had been rivals since the fifth grade, but every time the purple cat made a provoking comment, the lavender hedgehog would simply laugh and keep his cool. He was following his dad's example, for Sonic never took anyone's provoking remarks to heart. Why Miles had snapped and punched Eugene on this particular day was a question to which only a select few knew the answer.

The teenage hedgehog lowered his head, refusing to look his father in the eyes, and simply muttered, "It was nothing."

"'Nothing'?" Sonic repeated disbelievingly. "Well, 'nothing' almost got you suspended from school. You know better than to pick fights over nothing, Miles!"

An argument persisted between the hedgehogs for the next half hour. Miles insisted that the entire ordeal had been Eugene's fault, but wouldn't reveal exactly what the cat had done to make him so mad. Sonic, in turn, explained that there was no excuse for his son's behavior; he should have simply ignored the comment and walked away. Occasionally, Amy would add a remark or two to the conversation, but she knew all the while that this was a matter best handled by her husband.

When the discussion was over, Miles stood up and began to make his way back up the stairs to his room. When he was halfway up the steps, however, his father called him again, stopping the young hedgehog in his tracks and cueing him to turn around yet again.

"Young man, you're grounded", Sonic announced. "Give me your guitar."

At this, Miles's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. This reaction was to be expected; his electric guitar was one of his most cherished possessions, and he hated to part with it for any reason, a fact of which his father was well aware.

"What?!" the boy exclaimed, indignant. Sonic simply raised his eyebrows.

"You heard me", the blue hedgehog continued calmly. "You're not allowed to play your guitar for the next month. Give it to me."

Miles stared silently at Sonic for a few seconds, with a look on his face that said quite plainly, "This is so unfair!" However, the young hedgehog did as he was told, walking to his bedroom and returning some minutes later with a large black guitar case strapped over his shoulder. He made his way back downstairs into the living room, and reluctantly handed the case to his father.

Sonic unzipped it to check its contents. Once he had confirmed the presence of a cobalt blue electric guitar within the case, he dismissed Miles and allowed him to return to his room. After watching his son storm up the stairway and hearing his bedroom door slam behind him, the blue hedgehog leaned the guitar case against the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch, sighing deeply. Amy, who had been standing up throughout the discussion, now sat down on the corner of the wooden table and faced her husband.

"Well, well", she said, smiling subtly despite the day's unfortunate occurrence. "I never thought I'd see the day when Sonic the Hedgehog scolded his son for breaking the rules."

Sonic leaned back on the couch in an exasperated manner, and glanced at his wife from the corner of his eye.

"It's not about breaking the rules, Amy", he explained. "It's about picking the right battles to fight. What could have gotten into Miles's head to make him snap like that? I didn't raise my son to pick petty fights over insignificant issues!"

"Well..." Amy replied, sitting up straighter in her seat and staring her husband directly in his green eyes, "... maybe it _wasn't_ an insignificant issue. Miles never gets into fights at school; whatever that boy Eugene said to him must have been extremely hurtful, if it made our son mad enough to punch him in the nose."

"Even so", Sonic said, tilting his head to face Amy, "he shouldn't have punched the other boy. If what Eugene said was so awful, why won't Miles tell us what the fight was about?"

Amy sighed deeply, pondering Sonic's question for a minute. She then stood up, took a step towards the couch, and seated herself next to her husband.

"That..." she whispered, taking his hand in hers and leaning her head against his, "... is a question to which our son would know the answer."

Sonic tilted his head further to his right to look his wife in her eyes.

"You think I should try and talk to him?" he asked her. Amy sat up and turned completely to face the blue hedgehog.

"I just think you should try and understand his side of the story", she answered seriously. "If Miles won't tell us what the fight was about, there must be a reason he doesn't want us to know. There's one thing we know for certain: what he wants more than anything in the world is to be just like his father. He may be a lot closer to his goal than you think."

And with that, the pink hedgehog kissed Sonic on the cheek, stood up, and walked away to the kitchen, leaving her husband in the living room to ponder her words.

Meanwhile, Miles was sitting back on his bed, sulking as he stared out his bedroom window. Some time after the young hedgehog had slammed his door, he heard a knock on it. Sitting up straighter, he shouted out his permission for the person in the hallway to enter. Miles's door opened slowly, and his sister appeared in the doorway.

"Hey", Lily said uneasily, concern in her voice. "Are you OK?"

Miles stared at her for a second, then turned away to face the window again.

"I'm fine", he muttered, though his tone suggested otherwise. Lily stepped into the room and took a seat at the foot of her brother's bed. A moment of awkward silence passed between them, until finally the sister of the pair decided to speak up.

"Why didn't you tell him, Miles?" she asked curiously. Clearly she had been listening to the entire discussion between her father and her brother from the upstairs hallway. The boy turned to look at Lily, hesitated for a moment, then answered her question.

"Because he doesn't need to know."

"Why not?" the girl replied, confused. "It could have changed everything! He probably wouldn't even have made you give him your guitar!"

"I don't care, Lily", Miles stated plainly, rubbing his black eye gingerly with his left hand. "It's still not worth risking Dad's pride."

The lilac hedgehog stared incredulously at her brother in silence for a minute. This was probably the most selfless act she had ever witnessed him commit.

"So... you don't care that you're grounded from playing guitar?" she said disbelievingly. "You feel that strongly about this?"

Miles leaned back against the headboard of his bed, clasping his hands around his knees and looking down at the floor.

"Honestly..." he muttered, "if I knew I had a choice between telling Dad that some rotten, smart-mouthed rich kid at my school called him a retired, forgotten, now-only-second-rate hero and giving up my guitar privileges for a month... I would have gladly tossed my guitar, my amplifier, and my entire collection of picks into a bag and handed it to Dad."

Having nothing more to say on the matter, Miles turned towards the window and resumed staring at the scene outside. Lily remained in her seat on the foot of the bed for a minute, gazing sympathetically at her brother and smiling, before finally standing up and leaving the room.

As it turned out, Amy was right: Miles was very much like Sonic, in the sense that he was willing to make great sacrifices in order to defend the people he cared about most in his life. The young hedgehog didn't realize it yet, but the decision he had just made was a sign that he was a true hero in the making.


	5. The New Girl in School

Chapter 5 - The New Girl in School

The day after Miles's and Rex's episode in the schoolyard, all of Emerald High was buzzing with the news. Students openly discussed the event in the hallways, and passed notes about it to one another during class. Miles, Lily, Sonia and Rex had expected this sort of outbreak to occur, and they were well aware that there was nothing they could do to stop it; rumors in schools, especially high schools, had a strong tendency to spread like wildfire.

To the teenagers of Emerald High, it was big news that the most popular boy in school and the second most popular boy in school had finally engaged in a physical fight with each other. Everyone had been anticipating it for years, but no one knew for sure when it would actually happen. Five years had seemed like an eternity, for it was common knowledge that Eugene Princeton couldn't stand being second best to anyone, especially Miles Hedgehog.

Ever since the hedgehog had won their fifth grade track race and earned himself the title of Track Team Captain, the cat had tried his best to bring his rival down. His attempts were usually made in vain; Miles had always managed to stay one step ahead of Eugene by laughing off the mean comments and keeping the memory of the victory he had achieved when he was ten years old fresh in his mind. The only time the cat had successfully touched a nerve on his hedgehog rival was the previous day, and even then the remark had not been about Miles; it had been about Sonic.

Now, as the news spread rapidly across the school, people were learning that Miles had only succumbed to Eugene's taunting to defend his father's honor, and that fact, if it was at all possible, seemed to be making the lavender hedgehog even more popular among his fellow students. The purple cat's popularity, on the other hand, was quickly decreasing; his tactic had backfired horribly. That afternoon, Miles and Rex emerged from detention to find a hero's welcome awaiting them, while Eugene and Alex were not even spared a second glance.

For the next couple of days, the hedgehog and the echidna were treated with the greatest respect by their classmates. Everyone truly admired Sonic the Hedgehog, and the fact that Miles and Rex had endured detention because of an argument over him made them both heroes in everyone's eyes. The two best friends were the focus of most students' attention since the big fight in the schoolyard... until another event occurred which drew some of the spotlight off the boys.

Miles, Lily, Sonia and Rex were seated in their Science class on the Friday morning of that eventful week when they witnessed the first occurrence of the sequence of events that would change their lives. The teacher, a spectacled tanuki named Mr. Davenport, was listing Physics formulas on the blackboard when a knock sounded on the classroom's closed door. The tanuki stopped making notes and lowered his glasses down his nose as he stared towards the door, then called out to the person waiting on its other side.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and two people stepped slowly into the room. One of them was Principal Hornsby; the other was a teenage hedgehog. The hedgehog was light gray in color, and she had eyes of the darkest natural blue, as well as faded red highlights in her quills. As the young hedgehog glanced nervously around the room at the students staring back at her, the principal addressed the entire class.

"Kids, it seems we have a new student here at Emerald High. She transferred here yesterday from Station Square, and she starts class today. Please welcome to the school Ms. Maria Hedgehog."

Maria smiled shyly at the principal and at her new teacher, then turned back to the rest of the class. Lily and Sonia, who were sitting at desks placed side by side, faced each other with expressions of disbelief on their faces, then turned back to look at Miles and Rex sitting directly behind them.

"It's Maria!" Lily whispered excitedly to the boys. "She studied with us in Kindergarten, remember?"

In fact, Miles did remember Maria as the shy girl who would sit quietly in the corner of their Kindergarten class ten years ago. That was not the same girl he was looking at now, however. The lavender hedgehog barely heard his sister's words, for he was staring completely stunned at the light gray hedgehog standing at the head of the classroom, convinced she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life.

Principal Hornsby spoke privately to Mr. Davenport for a moment, then left the classroom. The Science teacher then pointed Maria in the direction of an unoccupied desk in the middle of the room, which coincidentally was placed right in front of Lily's. The light gray hedgehog walked over to the desk with her head tilted down, and as she stepped between the rows of students, Miles subconsciously looked down and lifted his left hand to cover the small scar underneath his previously black eye, suddenly embarrassed. When Maria reached her new desk, she dropped her backpack by the chair and took a seat.

As Mr. Davenport continued his lesson, Lily proceeded to scribble a note on a scrap piece of paper. She waited until the teacher was facing the blackboard again, then passed the note to the hedgehog sitting in front of her. Maria hesitated, then took the note and opened it over her desk. Written on the piece of paper, in neat cursive handwriting, was the following message:

"Hi Maria! Welcome back to Green Hill. Remember us?"

Maria looked up from the note in her hands towards the blackboard to check if the teacher was still facing it. He was. The hedgehog then turned around carefully to look at the four friends sitting behind her, and immediately recognized the same group she knew when they were all five years old. Miles, Lily, Sonia and Rex all smiled at her, and Maria smiled back and waved her fingers at them subtly before turning to face forward again. The five of them remained silent throughout the rest of the Science class.

A couple of hours later, it was lunchtime. The four friends endured the cafeteria line to fill their lunch trays with food, then took their usual seats together at a long table close to the side wall. As they settled onto the table's benches, the hedgehog twins, the fox and the echidna noticed the shy hedgehog they had greeted in today's Science class leaving the line and walking into the midst of the cafeteria tables. She started to glance about, but whether she was looking for a group of people to sit with or simply an empty table to occupy was unknown to the friends watching her. It didn't matter; Lily made sure the former option was the light gray hedgehog's ultimate choice.

"Maria!"

Maria turned towards the source of the shout, and noticed Lily and Sonia waving their hands over their heads, beckoning her over. The hedgehog smiled and made her way over to their table. When she reached it, she placed her tray on the surface next to Sonia's, sitting down beside the young fox and across from the Hedgehog twins.

"So..." Lily said, smiling as Maria settled onto the bench. "Welcome back, Maria! How have you been?"

"I've been fine, thank you", the light gray hedgehog replied happily. "Ten years is a long time; I barely remember what life was like in Green Hill!"

"Well, don't worry", said Sonia, winking at Maria. "We can help you remember."

"If it helps, we'll start by reintroducing ourselves", added Lily, then extended her hand to Maria. "Remember me? I'm Lily Rose Hedgehog."

Maria, happy to join in the reintroductions, extended her own hand back and shook Lily's.

"Hi, Lily! Of course I remember you. Do you remember me? I'm Maria Geraldine Hedgehog."

When the two girls released each other's hand, Miles quickly extended his to the light gray hedgehog, tilting his head down and gazing at her as casually as possible.

"Remember me? I'm Miles Sonic Hedgehog, Lily's older brother."

As Miles shook Maria's hand, Lily rolled her eyes and turned to face her brother.

"_Twin_ brother", she corrected him. Miles released Maria's hand and turned to his sister.

"But I _am_ older than you."

"Yeah, by sixty seconds!"

"That still makes me older!"

Maria laughed as the twins argued in front of her. If there was one detail she remembered about the two of them, it was that they often engaged in playful arguments such as this one.

"Sonia Prower", said the two-tailed fox seated beside the light gray hedgehog, offering her own hand. "I'm Miles's and Lily's cousin."

"Rex Echidna", said the red echidna seated at Sonia's other side, offering his hand to Maria after she had released the fox's. "I'm just a close friend."

Maria shook Rex's hand, then sat back and looked quietly at the four people sitting around her for a moment. The hedgehog then inquired about the minor injuries still visible on Miles's and Rex's faces. The boys glanced nervously at each other; they had completely forgotten about Monday's fight. After a moment of silence, they proceeded to tell their version of the story. Naturally they exaggerated a bit; they were speaking to a pretty girl, after all. Lily and Sonia exchanged looks of amusement, but let the boys tell the story their own way nonetheless.

The five teenagers spent the rest of lunchtime catching up, exchanging news about the past ten years. They endured the afternoon classes seated close together, and when the last bell rang at the end of the day, they all made their way outside into the schoolyard together.

Maria was telling the other four of the group about her moving back to Green Hill when she looked out across the schoolyard and noticed someone staring back at her. It was a black hedgehog with red irises and prominent highlights in his quills, which were a darker shade of red than those of the light gray hedgehog. Maria paused, then grinned and shouted out to the black hedgehog:

"Dad!"

The young hedgehog rushed forward to greet her father, who smiled as he watched her approaching. When she reached him, Maria threw her arms around the black hedgehog, and the two happily embraced one another for a moment. As they released each other, another shout reached the group of four friends waiting close to the school building.

"Miles! Lily! Over here!"

Despite the fact that the call was directed at the Hedgehog twins, all four friends turned towards the person who had shouted, for they recognized his voice. They stared in the direction from which the call had come, and sure enough, they saw Sonic standing a short distance away from them, beckoning them over. Standing there next to him were Amy, Tails, Roxie, and Knuckles.

The Prowers had just retrieved their 11-year-old son, Aaron, from the local middle school nearby, and he now stood close to his parents. Just visible behind the others was Cream, who was standing there with her four-year-old identical triplet daughters: Amber, Ruby and Emerald. Amber and Ruby were each holding one of their mother's hands, while Emerald was examining some nearby flowers, watched closely by the family's Angel Chaos Chao, Cheese, who was hovering beside the Rabbits.

Miles, Lily, Sonia and Rex all hurried over to the group of people waiting for them. The teenagers greeted their respective families, then proceeded to tell them the exciting news. Lily was the first to bring up the subject.

"Maria is back!" the lilac hedgehog told her parents. "She's studying at Emerald High now!"

At this, Sonic paused and stared at his daughter incredulously.

"What did you say?" he asked her, stunned.

"Maria moved back to Green Hill", Sonia answered for her best friend. Sonic turned to face his niece.

"Where is she?"

"Over there", said Rex, pointing towards the two hedgehogs standing on the far side of the schoolyard. Sonic turned around to look in the direction the young echidna was indicating, and realized with a rush of excitement that the teenagers were right; Maria Hedgehog was back in Green Hill, and apparently so was her father.

The blue hedgehog grinned at the sight of the black hedgehog standing beside his daughter. He then began to approach the pair of them, noticed first by Maria, then by her father. When he reached them, Sonic gave the black hedgehog a subtle nod and a look of contained joy.

"Hey, Shadow!" he said, smiling. "Welcome back!"

Shadow stared at Sonic seriously for a moment, then broke into a smile.

"Thanks, Sonic", he replied gratefully. "It's great to be home."

The blue hedgehog glanced briefly at the young girl by Shadow's side, then turned back to the girl's father.

"This can't be little Maria", he said with a note of disbelief in his voice. Shadow nodded proudly and grinned.

"She turns sixteen next month."

Sonic's eyes widened in amazement at the black hedgehog's statement. He then turned to Maria, smiled brightly, and extended his hand to her. The light gray hedgehog shook it gladly.

"It's nice to see you again too, young lady", the blue hedgehog said kindly to Maria as he released her hand. "You know, the last time I saw you, you were about this big."

Sonic moved his hand to his side, holding his palm parallel to the ground at the level of his waist. A few seconds later, he dropped his hand and turned to Shadow. The blue hedgehog winked at his old rival.

"She's beautiful", he said to the girl's father. "Congratulations."

Shadow nodded in gratitude, smiling back at the blue hedgehog. Sonic then coaxed Shadow and Maria back to the group of his family and friends. As they walked over to the waiting group, Maria spoke excitedly to her dad.

"What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were only coming tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" said Sonic curiously. Shadow explained:

"Crystal and Maria moved here yesterday, but I had a few things to take care of back in Station Square. I thought I would be moving to Green Hill myself tomorrow, but..."

Shadow turned to his daughter and smiled at her before finishing:

"...I couldn't bear to stay away from my family. So I finished my work early and came as soon as I could. Surprise, sweetheart!"

"Surprise for all of us!" Sonic added as the three of them reached the waiting group of people watching them.

Everyone was excited to see the black hedgehog again, and they were enthusiastic to bring their news up to date. The group stayed in the schoolyard to chat for nearly an hour, until finally Shadow told his old friends that he needed to return home to help his wife and daughter unpack. The two hedgehogs bid farewell to everyone else, and were each approached lastly by one of Sonic's family: Shadow by Sonic, and Maria by Lily.

"I have a housewarming gift for you", Sonic told Shadow privately. "Actually, it's just something you lent me a long time ago, which I'm sure you'll want back. I'll bring it over to your house tomorrow."

Shadow knew exactly what Sonic was talking about, and nodded to signal that he understood. Meanwhile, Lily was whispering excitedly to Maria.

"Maria, do you wanna hang out with us tomorrow?"

Maria glanced at the other three teenagers standing behind the lilac hedgehog. Miles blushed slightly when she looked at him, but fortunately the light gray hedgehog didn't notice. Maria looked back at Lily and smiled.

"I'd love to", she replied happily. Lily grinned, then proceeded to exchange phone numbers with Maria. After each girl was holding a piece of paper with the other's phone number written on it, Shadow placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder and told her they were going home now.

Shadow and Maria stepped away from the group, and the families went their separate ways back to their homes. As she walked away beside her father, the light gray hedgehog looked back at Miles, Lily, Sonia and Rex, smiling to herself. From that day forward, Maria was part of a group of true friends. Life in Green Hill would never be the same again.


	6. Shadow's Hint

Chapter 6 - Shadow's Hint

Saturday morning dawned brightly on Green Hill, bringing high expectations to the five teenagers who had each renewed their group of friends yesterday afternoon. Miles and Lily awoke to find sunlight streaming gently through their respective bedroom windows; the sun had just appeared completely above the horizon. After checking the clocks on their nightstands to see what time it was, the twins lifted up out of their beds and began readying themselves for what would hopefully be a fun day.

As the two siblings sat in the kitchen and ate the breakfast their mother was cooking, their father walked into the room. Sonic bid his family a good morning, then turned to Lily.

"Are you two going out with your friends today?" he asked her. Lily swallowed the piece of pancake in her mouth before answering her dad's question.

"Yeah. I still have to call Maria, though. She wants to come with us, but she said she might have some unpacking left to do today."

"If you go to her house to pick her up, I'll go with you. I have something I need to give her father."

Lily nodded to acknowledge her father's words, then resumed eating the stack of pancakes on her plate. When she was finished, the lilac hedgehog excused herself from the table and made her way to the phone in the living room. A few minutes later, her voice was heard by the three hedgehogs still in the kitchen.

"Hello? Maria? It's Lily! How are you?"

As his sister spoke to the beautiful young hedgehog on the other end of the line, Miles couldn't help but raise his head slightly and attempt to catch the words being spoken in the living room of his own house. Lily was in the process of inviting Maria to spend the day with the rest of their group of friends and herself, and the young hedgehog sitting at the kitchen table felt his heart skip a beat as he hoped the other girl's answer would be "yes".

After a minute of discreet eavesdropping, Miles's wish was realized, for he heard Lily say the following words:

"Really? Great! We'll stop by your house around 11 o'clock, then. See you later! Bye!"

The sound of the phone being replaced on its hook reached the ears of the three hedgehogs seated at the kitchen table. Miles smiled to himself as his sister entered the kitchen again, a gesture that was noticed by his father. Sonic looked across the table at his son, cueing the lavender hedgehog to glance back at him with an embarrassed look in his eyes. The blue hedgehog smiled at the boy and winked, but said nothing, instead returning to the pancakes on his plate and the conversation he had been having with Amy.

Some time later, Sonic, Miles and Lily left their house and set off to fulfill their plans for the day. Sonic carried a black bag with him as he walked alongside his kids to their friends' houses. The first house they stopped by was Sonia's; they approached the front door, the sound of a piano being played becoming audible as they reached the Welcome mat.

Lily rang the doorbell, and the piano music immediately ceased. A few seconds later, the hedgehogs standing outside the door heard a female voice inside the house shouting, "I'll get it!" The door opened, and Sonia Prower suddenly became visible in the doorway.

"Hi, Uncle Sonic!" she said cheerily. "Hi, Lily! Hi, Miles! Do you wanna come inside?"

The fox opened the door a bit more, and her living room became visible in the background. Behind Sonia, a grand piano could be seen placed on one side of the room, at which Aaron was seated and beside which Roxie was standing. The Hedgehogs had clearly visited the house during Aaron's weekly music lesson.

"That's alright", Sonic replied. "We just came by to pick you up. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am! I'll be right out."

Sonia walked over to the piano to bid her mother and little brother goodbye. As the young fox ruffled Aaron's hair and hugged Roxie, the father of the Prower family made his way down the stairs and into the living room. Seeing the hedgehogs standing outside, Tails stepped over to the open doorway to greet them.

"Hi, Sonic!" he said, smiling. "Hi, kids! Are you here to pick up Sonia?"

"Yep", answered Sonic, just as his niece returned to the doorway. The young fox hugged her father, then stepped outside to join the hedgehogs.

"Bye, Dad!" she called on her way out. "Love you!"

"Love you too, sweetie!" Tails replied, then called to his brother, who was turning away. "Sonic, wait!"

Sonic turned around to face Tails again. The fox pointed discreetly at the black bag in the hedgehog's hand, and inquired about it in a low voice.

"Is that...?"

The blue hedgehog looked down at the bag in his hand, then glanced back up at his brother and nodded. Sonic knew Tails understood that the bag and its contents belonged to Shadow, and he was simply returning the items to their rightful owner. The Hedgehogs and Sonia then walked away from the Prowers' house, Tails closing the front door as they stepped back onto the street.

Rex's house was the next stop for the group. A similar scenario to the Prowers' house played out as they reached the Echidnas' home. The main difference was that instead of piano music, shouts associated with martial arts were heard on the other side of the door from the group standing by the front mat.

Miles rang the doorbell, and some minutes later, Rex was on his way out the door to join his friends, Knuckles and Tikal bidding their son goodbye and closing the door as the friends walked away. As the group of five made their way to Shadow's house, Sonic asked Rex about the shouts they had heard upon reaching his front door.

"Oh, my dad was just showing me some martial arts moves", the 16-year-old echidna explained. "He wanted to teach me his triple punch attack before we both left. He's going to Angel Island later today, probably to visit the temple again."

Sonic nodded, not surprised by Rex's last statement; devoted as he was to his family, Knuckles was still loyal to his roots, and he visited Angel Island at least once every week. The visits served as the echidna's time of solitude, a time when he could recall his past and his fondest memories of when he was a full-time Master Emerald guardian.

Ever since the Master Emerald had been moved into the protection of the interior of the Chaos Temple nearly twenty years ago, Knuckles had felt less than useful in his world. His sadness and newfound loneliness had tempted him to use an ancient power to summon another of his tribe, the only one he knew he could successfully call forth: Tikal. The two echidnas had quickly become good friends, and had later fallen in love with one another. Years later, they were married, and not long after that, they became the proud parents of a strong, healthy boy, who was now sixteen years of age and currently walking beside his friends across Green Hill.

After several minutes of walking, the group finally reached the last house they needed to stop by. Sonic rang the doorbell, and a minute later, the door opened to reveal a white hedgehog with blue eyes standing before them.

"Hi, Crystal", said Sonic politely. The teenagers followed his example by each adding a "Hello" to the greeting.

"Hi, Sonic!" Crystal replied, smiling kindly at them all. "Hello, kids! Maria will be right out."

"Crystal, is Shadow here?" Sonic asked the white hedgehog. She turned to Sonic and nodded.

"Yes, he is. I'll go get him."

Crystal disappeared into the house, and a minute later, Shadow took her place in the doorway.

"Hello", said the black hedgehog, addressing everyone standing before him. "Sonic?"

Sonic lifted the bag in his hand just as Maria appeared in the hallway behind Shadow. The light gray hedgehog walked over to the door and greeted everyone standing outside. She then kissed her father on the cheek and stepped over the threshold.

"Bye, Dad!" she called happily. "Bye, Sonic!"

The rest of her friends followed suit, bidding both hedgehogs goodbye as they walked away to carry out their plans for the day. Sonic and Shadow watched the teenagers disappear down the road before turning back to face each other.

"I brought you this back", Sonic said, holding the bag out to Shadow. The black hedgehog took it, unzipped the main compartment, and checked its contents. Inside the bag was the silver Chaos Emerald he had left with the blue hedgehog a little over ten years ago. Shadow closed the compartment, then thanked his friend for taking care of the item and for returning it.

After stating that it was no trouble to hold on to the gem for a decade, Sonic asked, "Shadow, do you have a minute?"

"What for?" the black hedgehog replied, concerned.

"Just to catch up. But if you're too busy, I can come back some other time."

Shadow glanced back over his shoulder at his living room. There were still a few boxes left to be unpacked, but all the downstairs furniture was already in place, and the house was no longer the mess it had been a couple of days ago. Deciding that whatever his friend wanted to talk about would be best discussed while his daughter was out, Shadow turned back to Sonic and opened the door, allowing him entry to his house.

Sonic stepped into the main hallway of Shadow's old home, and the black hedgehog directed him to the living room, closing the door behind him. Crystal appeared in the room from the kitchen, and, realizing there was a guest in the house, offered Sonic something to drink.

"I'm fine, Crystal", the blue hedgehog replied, smiling. "Thank you."

The white hedgehog then excused herself and went upstairs. Sonic seated himself on one of the couches in the living room, which was placed perpendicular to the chair Shadow took as his own seat.

"When did you become so polite?" the black hedgehog asked his friend, smirking as he placed the bag on the ground. Sonic replied with a meaningful stare, a sly smile, and a straight answer.

"When I decided to grow up and start living a normal life."

Shadow laughed, as though he couldn't believe the words he just heard had actually come out of Sonic the Hedgehog's mouth.

"Do you still run, at least?"

"Of course! I could never give up running, and in any case, I have to set an example for my son. Miles is the captain of the school's track team. You should see the boy race; he could really give me a run for my money, so to speak!"

"So does that mean I'm not your only competition anymore?" Shadow taunted. Sonic laughed sarcastically.

"Ha ha. Don't be so full of yourself. I haven't lost a race yet, but if I ever do, it'll be to my own blood: Miles Sonic Hedgehog."

Shadow smiled thoughtfully; he was sure that Sonic must be as proud of Miles as he himself was of Maria. After a small pause, the blue hedgehog continued the conversation.

"Your family is great. Does Crystal still write?"

"Yes, she does", Shadow answered, then hesitated before elaborating. "She sort of... 'retired' from her job at the newspaper a few years ago, because something unfortunate had come up. She's currently working on a book, so she spends a lot of time in her study, just writing. I think she misses being a journalist, but it's great that she's still doing what she loves."

Sonic nodded in agreement, though he couldn't help feeling a bit curious. There was something about the way Shadow had said the word "retired" that suggested the unfortunate occurrence had induced some sort of strain on his family. The blue hedgehog didn't inquire further, however, as he was sure it was a matter his friend didn't like to discuss with others.

After another brief pause in the conversation, the black hedgehog inquired aloud as to what it was his friend wanted to discuss. Sonic leaned forward in his seat, hesitated for a moment to organize his thoughts, then voiced the question he had been eager to ask since he first noticed Shadow in the schoolyard the day before.

"What exactly have you been up to the past ten years?"

Shadow's smile faded as he gave Sonic a meaningful look.

"You know I can't tell you that, Sonic. It's classified information."

"I know. But can't you at least give me a hint?"

Shadow turned away from his friend, staring down at the ground bitterly.

"Trust me: you don't want a hint."

Sonic stared at Shadow seriously, suddenly concerned.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The black hedgehog looked back up at the blue one, choosing his next words carefully.

"Let's just say that, sometimes, 'The End'... isn't really the end."

Sonic suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Whether it was the words themselves or the tone Shadow had used to say them that had made him shiver, he didn't know. All Sonic knew was that those words had sparked an awful thought in his mind, a thought he didn't wish to dwell on.

The two hedgehogs continued to chat, careful to stay off the subject of Shadow's ventures in the last decade. After a while, the blue hedgehog glanced into the kitchen, and caught sight of the clock on the wall. It was almost noon.

"I should go now", he said, turning back to the black hedgehog. "Amy is waiting for me."

Sonic and Shadow stood up to exchange thanks and goodbyes. Shadow smirked again as he shook Sonic's hand.

"Wow, you really have changed, Sonic. I remember there was a time when you couldn't have cared less what Amy was doing or how it concerned you."

"I told you: I've grown up!" the blue hedgehog laughed. "Get used to it."

Sonic shouted a farewell up the stairs to Crystal as Shadow walked with him to the front door. When they reached the doorway, the black hedgehog opened the door, and his house guest stepped outside. Before he started making his way back home, the blue hedgehog turned back to face his old rival with a smile on his lips.

"And for the record, just because it took me five years to grow up enough to start a life with Amy... doesn't mean there was ever a time I didn't care about her."

And with that, Sonic rushed down the front path of the house and ran off back to his home at supersonic speed. Shadow laughed as he watched the blue blur disappear over the horizon, then softly closed the front door and made his way upstairs to be with his own wife.


	7. Maria Joins Generation Beta

Chapter 7 - Maria Joins Generation Beta

Miles, Lily, Sonia, Rex and Maria spent their Saturday in the center of town, hanging out and catching up some more from where they had left off the day before. The four teenagers of the original group all knew that their newest friend was very shy; what they hadn't anticipated, however, was discovering just how cool she was once she had been successfully coaxed out of her shell.

Maria Geraldine Hedgehog was extremely intelligent. Back in her old school, she had the highest grade average of her class, and she always scored top marks on her Language Arts tests. This was only natural; the young hedgehog loved to read, and on top of that her mother was a writer. Along with these facts, Maria's new friends also learned that she loved music, was a hopeless romantic, and enjoyed spending quality time with her father whenever she could, which unfortunately had become less and less often the older she grew.

The five friends stopped to have lunch at a popular fast food restaurant. Seated at a table surrounded by several other teenagers, they continued to discuss Maria's hobbies and interests.

"So, Maria..." Lily began after swallowing a piece of her vegetarian burger, "... do you play an instrument?"

Maria glanced around at her friends for a moment, then answered Lily's question.

"Sort of. My dad asked me once if I wanted to learn how to play an instrument, so I decided to take up the bass. I started learning how to play when I was eleven, but I eventually dropped it. I haven't played in a long time."

The young hedgehog suddenly noticed that the other teenagers sitting around her seemed excited about what she had just said.

"Do you still remember how to play?" Sonia asked, intrigued. Maria thought for a moment before replying:

"I guess. Why?"

"Because if you do", Rex told her, "you could be the missing piece to our puzzle."

"Missing piece?" the light gray hedgehog asked, a confused expression on her face. At this, Lily nudged her twin brother discreetly. After rubbing his elbow indignantly, Miles proceeded to explain.

"The four of us formed a rock band some time ago. Lily sings lead vocals, Sonia plays the keyboard, Rex plays the drums, and I play electric guitar. The only thing we're missing is a bass player. That's where you would come in."

Maria blushed slightly at Miles's words. She looked around shyly at the rest of the group.

"You guys want me to join your band?" she said, flattered. Her friends all nodded.

"If you want to, that is", Sonia told her. After thinking for a moment, Maria smiled.

"I'd love to!" she said, then hesitated before continuing. "But... I barely remember how to play. I'd have to start practicing again."

"Miles can help you!" Lily exclaimed suddenly, cueing both Miles and Maria to turn sharply to face her in surprise.

"Come again?" the lavender hedgehog asked, confused. Lily ignored her brother and continued speaking to the light gray hedgehog sitting in front of her.

"Miles plays the electric guitar, so out of all of us, he understands the most about the bass. He could help you practice!"

Maria turned to Miles and stared at him hopefully.

"Is that OK with you?" she asked him. The boy stared back at her shyly for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Of course!" he replied. "I'd be happy to help you."

Maria smiled back at Miles, thanking him. The two stared silently at each other for a moment, then the light gray hedgehog turned back to Lily and inquired further about the band.

"What is the band's name?"

Miles, Lily, Sonia and Rex all glanced at each other with smiles on their faces. Their band's name had been chosen by all of them, and they were quite proud of it. Rex had suggested they come up with a two-word name; Miles had suggested the name should make some reference to their parents, who were all heroes; Lily had suggested the inclusion of the word "generation" in the name; and Sonia had suggested the use of a Greek letter to symbolize their position in their respective family lines. The result of the friends' combined brainstorming was their band's name.

"Generation Beta", said Lily happily.

"Because 'Generation Alpha' would be our parents", Rex explained. "They were all heroes when they were our age. Now we want to honor them."

"Which would also make you eligible for our band", Sonia added with a wink, for she and her friends all knew that Shadow was a hero as well. Maria nodded at her friends.

"That's a good name", she told them honestly. "I like it!"

The five friends finished their lunch, and spent the rest of the day discussing various subjects, occasionally bringing up the band and their newest addition. Returning home in the late afternoon, Miles and Maria walked a few paces behind the others as they set a weekly day and time to rehearse together. Shortly before reaching the light gray hedgehog's house, they settled on meeting every Sunday from 2 o'clock to 3 o'clock, alternating between their houses every week.

The group of five stopped in front of Maria's front door, and Lily rang the doorbell. Within the minute, Shadow was standing before them all, gesturing for his daughter to enter the house. Maria bid her friends goodbye and thanked them for the wonderful day, then stepped over the threshold.

Before closing the door, however, she turned back to face Miles, who was the only one still watching her; his sister, cousin and best friend had already begun turning away to walk back to the street, and Shadow had disappeared into the living room. The light gray hedgehog gazed fondly at the lavender one for a moment, smiling at him.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" she said softly, brushing her fingers nervously along the edge of the open door. The boy smiled timidly back at her and replied:

"Yeah. See you then."

Miles then turned away to join his friends on the street as Maria gently closed the front door, both hedgehogs blushing profusely as they parted ways.

---

From that day on, the five friends were inseparable. They would always sit close together during class, and would walk home in a group, discussing various subjects on the way. Between classes and after school, Miles and Maria took several opportunities to go over the theory of their bass lessons, and an hour of each of the two Sundays which immediately succeeded the teenagers' day out was devoted to the practice.

Of course, Miles couldn't demonstrate the proper chords and finger positions himself, for his punishment for fighting in school was still in effect. It didn't really matter, however, as he was quite content to guide Maria's hands along the strings of her bass and simply listen to her play. She had successfully accomplished a seemingly impossible task: to make the lavender hedgehog forget just how upset he was over losing his privilege to play his treasured electric guitar. The light gray hedgehog, in turn, was just as happy to have Miles teaching her, and would occasionally find herself feigning ignorance of a chord just so he would help her place her fingers in the right position over the strings.

The two hedgehogs' attitudes towards each other were noticed by their other three friends, and a week and a half after the group's day out, one of them worked up the nerve to mention the fact to Miles: his sister.

As usual, the lavender hedgehog returned home from school later than his friends on that Wednesday afternoon, tired out from his weekly track meet. Lily was seated at the kitchen table at the time, busy with her homework. She looked up from her books as her twin brother walked into the room, and watched his progress as he walked across the kitchen to fetch himself a glass of water. Miles then dropped into a chair across the table from his sister, greeted her, and drained the glass while Lily smiled casually at him.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" he asked when the glass in his hand was empty.

"They're out", Lily replied, turning back to her books without removing the smile from her face. "Uncle Tails invited Dad on a test flight of his new plane, and Mom is helping Cream organize the gallery for her next art show."

Miles nodded, not surprised by the information. Sonic always went with Tails on test flights of the latter's newest aircrafts; the blue hedgehog loved adventure, and would always take any opportunity he could to chase it. As for Cream, her career as an artist was just taking off, and Amy, being her best friend, often took time to help her prepare for her art showings, either by organizing the paintings in the Art gallery or keeping an eye on the rabbit's triplets and Chao garden while she and her husband worked elsewhere.

Miles stood up to help himself to more water, watched once again by a smiling Lily. When the glass was full, he turned around and leaned against the counter, and just before bringing it to his lips, he asked his sister:

"What's so funny?"

Lily dropped the pencil in her hand as her twin drank the water in the glass, and, no longer able to contain her joy, she replied:

"It's just that... the fact that Mom and Dad are out gives me a chance to ask you something."

And leaning forward in her seat towards Miles, the young hedgehog asked the very risky question she had been desperate to voice for over a week:

"Are you and Maria comfy in your tree?"

In that instant, water suddenly spluttered out of Miles's mouth. He had obviously not been anticipating such a question, and the surprise his sister had induced in him caused him to cough up the water he was drinking in shock. For a minute, the lavender hedgehog did nothing more than cough uncontrollably, until finally his throat relaxed, and he found his voice again.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on!" Lily exclaimed, leaning back in her chair once more and laughing. "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about! I see the way you two look at each other, and Sonia and Rex see it too. You like Maria, and she likes you. We all know it!"

Miles set the glass in his hand down on the counter, pondering his sister's words. He was afraid to acknowledge the truth in her remark, and the fact that his cheeks were turning red did not help his case.

"Lily..." the lavender hedgehog began, unsure of what he was going to say next. There was no need for him to say any more; his tone already suggested to the lilac hedgehog that she had hit her mark.

"I'm not saying it's a _bad_ thing", she continued, still with a smile on her face. "Nobody's accusing you of anything, Miles. In fact, Sonia, Rex and I are hoping something will come of this. We all agree that you two are cute together."

"Lily..." Miles repeated in a stronger tone, turning back to his sister with a crimson hue in his cheeks. "Just... stop."

The lilac hedgehog understood that she was making her brother uncomfortable, so she did as he requested and ceased her speaking. She did not, however, remove the grin from her lips as she turned back to face the books still lying open on the kitchen table.

It suddenly became clear to Miles why Lily was glad their parents were out. Had Sonic been home at the time, the lavender hedgehog would have left the kitchen as soon as his sister began discussing his feelings and told on her to his father. Lily would then have had to avoid mentioning the subject again for at least the rest of the day. As their parents were _not_ home, though, Miles had a feeling that the lilac hedgehog would bring up the subject again within the hour.

He was right. 40 minutes later, Lily closed her books and stored her writing utensils in her pencil case, having just finished her homework. She then made her way into the living room, where her brother was looking over the music for one of their band's songs. The lilac hedgehog realized that Miles was inserting notes and chords for a bass into the song, as there wasn't a part for one before. Their parents were still not home yet.

Lily grinned at the sight of the lavender hedgehog working to include Maria in their band performance, and she stepped up behind the couch on which he was seated.

"See?" she said, causing her brother to jump and drop his pencil; clearly he had not realized she was in the room. "You're writing a part for her into our song! I've never seen you work this hard for anyone. You like her!"

"Lily!" Miles exclaimed as he picked up the sheet music from the coffee table and reached for the pencil on the floor. "Just leave me alone, OK?"

But Lily would not leave her brother alone, not while their parents were out and she could taunt him freely. The lilac hedgehog was determined to get her point across, and would not stop until Miles admitted to his feelings, at which she would then begin trying to help him realize his wish.

Lily followed her twin up the stairs and to his room, still insisting that he had feelings for their new friend. Miles tried his best to ignore her, but to his dismay he found that his sister's words had been carefully selected in such a way that he couldn't help but feel mixed emotions inside. Among these emotions were anger, confusion and embarrassment; never before had the young hedgehog experienced these three feelings at once.

"Lily!" Miles practically shouted his sister's name as he stepped through the doorway into his room and turned back to face her in the hall. "Leave me alone!"

"Fine!" Lily laughed, lifting her hands in mock surrender. "Just think about what I said, OK?"

And with that, she began to walk further down the hall to her own room. As she left Miles standing in his doorway, she began to sing happily:

"_Miles and Maria, sitting in a tree..._"

The lavender hedgehog slammed his bedroom door, effectively shutting out his sister's singing. He then walked over to his bed, collapsed onto it, and closed his eyes, trying to relax in spite of the frustration burning within him.

Miles, like his father, was very stubborn and extremely proud. He was sure he would never willingly own up to the feelings his sister claimed he had for Maria, though this was not because the lilac hedgehog was wrong. It was for quite the opposite reason, in fact; Miles hated admitting when Lily was right.

For of course she was right, and her brother did like Maria very much, as Maria liked him back just the same. What Lily did _not_ know, however, was just how right she really was. And at the end of the day, the truth loomed above as it always had and always would: Miles Sonic Hedgehog, for the very first time in his 15 years of life, was completely smitten.


	8. Visions and Confessions

Chapter 8 - Visions and Confessions

For the next two days, Lily refused to let up on her brother. Every time Miles found himself alone with his twin, he was forced to endure her taunting and insisting. Even when they were among their friends, she would pass him encouraging notes in class, and would wink at him each time she caught him looking at Maria. Miles did not know whether to be angry with Lily for teasing him, or grateful that she understood how he felt and wanted to help him step up. One thing was for certain, however: this conflict of emotions was driving the young hedgehog crazy.

But Miles was not the only one being mildly taunted for having a crush; Maria had also somehow found herself in the same situation. The difference was that it was not Lily who first mentioned the subject to her; it was Sonia.

On Thursday afternoon, right after lunch, Lily, Sonia and Maria stepped into the girls' bathroom just before heading to their History class. While Maria brushed her teeth in front of the mirror, Sonia, who was washing her hands in the sink next to the light gray hedgehog, asked her in as casual a tone as she could pull off:

"So, Maria... how are you and Miles getting along?"

Maria, who had not been expecting this subject to come up, accidentally pushed her toothbrush a bit too far into the inside of her left cheek. The light gray hedgehog pulled the toothbrush out of her mouth, spat into the sink in front of her, and placed her hand gingerly over her sore cheek as she turned to face her fox friend.

"We're getting along fine", she answered carefully, suddenly nervous; she was sure her friends had caught on by now about her feelings for Miles.

Lily had just finished washing her hands, and was now extracting her own toothbrush and toothpaste from her backpack. As she squeezed out the toothpaste onto the bristles of her toothbrush, the lilac hedgehog added a comment of her own to the conversation.

"You know, Maria, if you really like Miles... I think you should make the first move."

Like Miles, Maria felt slightly uncomfortable with Lily's remarks. Unlike Miles, however, the light gray hedgehog did not try to ignore the comment or change the subject. Instead, she simply accepted the fact that her friends were aware of her feelings and were trying to help her. Maria began to blush, and replied to Lily's statement curiously.

"_I_ should make the first move? Why?"

"Because", Lily continued as she pushed the bristles of her toothbrush under the running water of her sink, "Miles is just like our dad; it's not easy for him to express his feelings to others, especially to someone he really likes. He needs to be pushed in the right direction. Therefore, you should make the first move; show him you like him. Then maybe he won't be so afraid of you anymore."

"Afraid of me?" Maria laughed. "Why would he be afraid of me?"

Lily had already begun brushing her teeth, thus rendering herself unable to speak, so Sonia took over the explanation for her.

"It's nothing personal; it's just that, at our age, boys in general are afraid of girls. They don't know how to act around us, especially when they like us. And if you leave it all up to the boy, it might take him a long time to get up the courage to start chasing you."

"That's true", Lily added, spitting into the sink. "Our mom told us that our dad was more afraid of her than he ever was of his enemies. It took him five years to finally admit to her that he liked her. Of course, our _dad_ says the fact that she was too forward didn't help, but I'm sure you won't make the same mistake."

Sonia turned from Lily on her right to Maria on her left. The two-tailed fox smiled slyly at the light gray hedgehog as she gave her a meaningful stare.

"Do you want to string Miles along for five years?"

Maria looked down at the toothbrush still in her hand. Indeed, she did not want to carry on a five-year-long will-they-or-won't-they relationship with a boy she really liked.

"No", she admitted, smiling shyly. Lily and Sonia exchanged looks of excitement before turning back to Maria.

"In that case", said Lily happily, winking as she replaced her toothbrush and toothpaste in her backpack, "we suggest you make the first move."

And with that, the three girls walked out of the girls' bathroom and into the hallway, where Miles and Rex were waiting for them. To avoid rousing the boys' suspicion over their previous conversation, Maria immediately changed to a different subject, asking her friends:

"Who's staying after school today?"

In response to her question, Rex raised his hand.

"I am", he replied. "I've got football practice today."

Almost every school day of the week, one of the original group of four friends would stay in school after classes for an extracurricular activity. On Monday, Lily normally stayed after school in the laboratory as President of the Science club, where she would help organize the Science Fair every semester. On Tuesday, Sonia stayed behind to train with the Mathletics team, of which she was the leader. On Wednesday, Miles had a track meet, which he never missed because he was Captain of the track team. And on Thursday, Rex stayed after school as Captain of the school's football team, in order to train for their upcoming games. The only day of the week when the friends all returned home together was Friday, which was also somewhat special, due to the fact that their parents would always meet them outside the school and walk home with them.

Maria nodded to acknowledge Rex's answer, then the five friends headed to their History class together. The rest of the day progressed as normally as ever; Miles continued to glance at Maria with a timid smile and a rapidly pounding heart, Maria continued to reciprocate Miles's feelings privately, and the other three friends continued to observe the adorable pair with everlasting hope. Nothing out of the ordinary happened on Thursday.

But on Friday, everything changed.

It started when the five friends stepped outside the school after the dismissal bell had rung. Maria had spent much of her time thinking about Lily's suggestion, ever since the two hedgehogs and the fox had stepped out of the girls' bathroom the day before. The light gray hedgehog completely trusted her friends, and was willing to take their advice, knowing that they only had her best interests at heart. So, before making their way over to their waiting parents, Maria requested that Miles stay a few paces behind their friends, so she could speak to him in private.

"Miles..." Maria began shyly, as soon as the others were out of earshot, "... I was wondering... Can you meet me later today?"

Miles, surprised by this request, hesitated before nodding and replying:

"Sure. Where?"

"In the open fields. There's one hill in particular that I really like, with a tall oak tree and roses growing all around it. Do you know where it is?"

Miles thought for a minute, then nodded. He had passed such a hill several times before, during play races he had with his father when he was younger, but he had never stopped on it once. Maria smiled and continued:

"Can you meet me there just before sunset?"

Miles nodded, smiling back. The two hedgehogs then caught up with their friends, who were already greeting their families in the schoolyard. Miles greeted Sonic and Amy happily, while Maria hugged Shadow. The large group of families and friends then made their way home together, each family separating from the group at a different point in order to return to their own house.

---

Two events out of the ordinary happened that day. The first one occurred on Angel Island; Knuckles and Tikal were visiting the Chaos Temple in the late afternoon, while their son remained at home to practice martial arts. It was supposed to be like any other visit to Angel Island; just a peaceful moment to relive old memories.

The echidnas entered the temple to see the Master Emerald, something Knuckles usually did alone on his weekly visits. Why exactly he had decided to bring his wife with him to the island on this particular day, the echidna could not have said; all he knew was that she had asked to come with him today, and he had agreed that the company would be nice. And so, the Echidnas had left their house together, and were now entering the innermost chamber of the Chaos Temple, where the Master Emerald was located.

Knuckles and Tikal gazed at the enormous green emerald in awe; it was an important part of their past, and would always hold a special place in their hearts. After all, it was the Master Emerald that had first brought them together. Knuckles himself had moved the Master Emerald into the temple, and after it had been there for some time, he had used the ancient power of his tribe on it to summon Tikal. Both echidnas remembered that day fondly, and recalled other memories as they stared at the great emerald in silence.

Then, suddenly, something completely unexpected happened. The Master Emerald began to glow, and the next thing she knew, Tikal was feeling a surge of energy rush through her. The tribe princess gasped, cueing her husband to turn sharply towards her in shock. Knuckles noticed that his wife's eyes had acquired an eerie glow about them, as though she were being possessed by some superior power, which, as it so happened, she was.

Tikal stared blankly ahead at the Master Emerald, no longer aware of her surroundings or her present state. The ancient power had taken control of her, and Knuckles could only watch helplessly, concerned for his wife but unsure of what he could do.

A minute after she had fallen completely into her trance, Tikal began to speak, in a voice that was clearly not her own. It was deeper and more powerful, and it had a strange touch of mystic superiority and mystery to it. The tribe princess's lips moved involuntarily to voice an enigmatic prophecy:

"**Gold and Silver, once joined, start together the chain.  
If together, then parted, great Chaos will reign.  
But united once more, then Control will they bring,  
To vanquish Chaos threatening everything.  
Gold and Silver together, from ashes they'll rise,  
Purity in their hearts and hope in their eyes.  
Gold and Silver will triumph as never before,  
****And balance shall come to the world once more.**"

When the strange verse had completely left the echidna's lips, the glow in her eyes faded, and she began to fall back into her normal state. Tikal suddenly felt weak and dazed, unable to support herself as she faltered. Fortunately for the tribe princess, agility was not lost on her husband; Knuckles quickly recovered from the shock of witnessing the strange occurrence, and immediately rushed forth to catch his wife before she collapsed to the stone floor of the temple.

Tikal leaned against Knuckles for a moment as she recovered from her paranormal experience. Once the strength had returned to her limbs, she pulled herself up onto her feet and looked up into her husband's purple eyes.

"What... What happened?" she asked him nervously; evidently she had no recollection of the prophecy she had just voiced.

Knuckles gazed back into Tikal's blue eyes with an expression of mixed confusion and disbelief on his face. He wanted to tell her about the strange voice, about the eerie glow in her eyes, about the mysterious verse she had spoken. But the echidna was too stunned to mention any of these facts just yet; he simply embraced his wife as he struggled to understand what had just happened.

"I have no idea", was the only answer he could provide, which was purely true; try as he might, Knuckles could not figure out what it all meant.

The echidna did not know it yet, but the meaning of the prophecy would be revealed to him and his friends sooner than any of them could ever expect. Also unknown to the echidna was the fact that the prophecy concerned two of his own acquaintances, who happened to be the two most important people regarding the fate of the world as they knew it.

---

The second unusual event of that day happened in the open fields of Green Hill. Miles left his house when the sun was hanging low above the horizon in the west. The lavender hedgehog ran the entire way from his house to the fields, at a speed worthy of rivaling Sonic's. When he reached the wide-open spaces he had loved to visit with his father, Miles set about searching for the hill Maria had set as their meeting point.

He found the right hill in a matter of minutes. As he stopped at the foot of the small hill, the lavender hedgehog smelled the sweet scent of the roses blooming all around him, and looked up towards the tall oak tree planted on top of the grassy mound. Walking up the hill towards the tree, Miles noticed that someone was already there waiting for him: his crush.

Maria was standing beside the oak tree, facing the western horizon. The light of the gradually setting sun shone on her face, illuminating her features in the most brilliant fashion. The blue in her eyes gleamed like the wings of the butterflies fluttering about the roses, and her fur seemed to sparkle brightly in the sunlight. Like silver.

Hearing the sound of her crush's approaching footsteps, the light gray hedgehog turned around to face Miles. She smiled at the sight of the lavender hedgehog, and beckoned him over to sit beside her under the branches of the oak. Miles grinned back at his crush, and took a seat on the grass next to her as she sat down, the tree on her right and her friend on her left. Maria then proceeded to explain about her history with the hill on which they were seated, and why she liked it so much.

"My dad used to bring me to these hills when I was little", she told Miles, looking out towards the open fields and the setting sun as she spoke. "This one was my favorite. Before we moved to Station Square, we would come here often and watch the sunset together. We would talk about a lot of things. I always felt closest to him during those moments."

Maria looked down sadly at her knees, around which her arms were wrapped, before continuing.

"After we moved, though, my dad went back to work. I started seeing him less and less as I grew older, until finally it was a big deal if I could see him at all during the day. I usually only ever saw him at night, and even then it would just be for a short while, because he was always tired from work and would go to sleep early. I really missed the time we used to spend together. Sometimes I wonder if he still cares about me the same way..."

Miles stared at the light gray hedgehog in silence for a moment, intrigued. He then asked her:

"What does your dad do?"

"He was an agent for the Guardian Unit of Nations, or G.U.N., as they call it. He never tells me exactly what he used to do; he says it's classified information. All I know about his work is that it was important for national security for some reason, and that he enjoyed his job. In fact, we'd probably still be back in Station Square... if it weren't for what happened to my mom."

"What happened?" Miles inquired, curious and concerned at the same time.

"Well...", Maria hesitated before explaining, "... when I was twelve years old, she got very sick. She was in the hospital for months, which seemed like an eternity to my dad and me. We were afraid that maybe she would..."

Maria couldn't finish, suddenly feeling a knot within her throat obstructing her speech. Realizing her discomfort, Miles boldly reached out his hand and placed it over hers, squeezing it gently.

"I'm sorry", he said sympathetically. The light gray hedgehog smiled weakly at her crush's touch, and managed to find her voice again.

"It's OK; after a lot of intense treatment, she did get better again, and now she's fine. I remember the day we found out my mom would survive the illness. We were in the hospital, and my dad sent me to get some water. When I brought it back, I saw him talking to my mom's doctor, but I couldn't hear what they were saying.

"At first I thought it was bad news, because all of a sudden my dad started crying. When I stepped closer, however, he turned to me with a smile on his face, and told me that my mom was going to be OK. I was so happy that I dropped the cup of water on the floor and ran to hug him. It was the only time I had ever seen him cry, and I cried along with him.

"My dad finished his work three years later. He decided that the city environment wasn't good for my mom, so we moved back to Green Hill, and he left his job behind. So now here we are."

Maria turned to Miles, and suddenly blushed. She placed a hand timidly over her lips, as though she had suddenly realized she made a mistake.

"I'm sorry!" she said, embarrassed. "I'm probably boring you with the story of my life."

"No, no!" Miles insisted with a smile. "I like listening to you talk, really! It's nice to see another side of you."

Maria smiled shyly back at her crush, then turned to face the horizon again, behind which the sun was now disappearing.

"It feels so good to be back here, out in the open fields. Have _you_ ever come here for some peace before?"

Miles thought for a minute, then pointed for a second towards another hill not too far from where they were sitting. There were some small trees scattered around it, and like every other hill in the fields, it possessed a variety of flowers planted along its grass.

"My dad used to take me and Lily to that hill over there, usually at night. We would lay back on the grass and just gaze at the stars. My dad says he used to go there by himself when he was my age; it was a place where he could really be alone and relax. Later, he started taking my mom there, and after that, he started taking me and my sister. After a while, my mom and Lily stopped coming with us, so it was just me and my dad. We were inseparable, like best friends. It was great."

The lavender hedgehog turned back to face Maria, grinning. The light gray hedgehog gazed out at the hill towards which her crush had been pointing, then turned to watch the sunset again.

"I love these fields, especially at sunset. Look at this scene! Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes", Miles whispered, without removing his gaze from Maria. "Very beautiful."

The light gray hedgehog turned back to face her crush, the smile suddenly fading from her lips. There was something she wanted to tell him, but it took her a while to find the right words.

"Miles..." she whispered, suddenly nervous again, "... for a while now, I've been thinking... I've been thinking a lot, actually... mostly about you. The thing is... I really like you. I think you're cute, and smart, and fun. And I find I have trouble getting you off my mind, but that's probably because... I don't want to."

Miles stared completely dumbfounded at the beautiful girl sitting beside him. He suddenly felt oddly exhilarated, as though one of his greatest wishes had finally come true, which, of course, it had. The lavender hedgehog sensed his heart rate picking up, and he carefully placed a hand on his chest, trembling slightly.

"I really like you too, Maria", he answered, then, blushing, he added, "I'm sorry; I think my heart almost broke one of my ribs just now."

Maria laughed, then reached out and took the boy's hand in hers. For a moment, the two teenagers did nothing more than gaze at each other in silence. Just as the sun was vanishing completely behind the horizon, the lavender hedgehog slowly leaned forward towards the light gray one, discovering as he did so, to his great relief, that she was beginning to lean towards him as well. The second the sun disappeared from the sky, their lips touched.

In that instant, Miles and Maria simultaneously discovered what "real magic" was. Their hearts fluttered, their minds raced, and they felt like an entire new world of wonders had opened up to them. The teenagers' lips remained connected for several seconds, though to them it felt like a lifetime of bliss. When it was over, they separated, and gazed once more into one another's eyes, broad grins brightening their faces.

That day, Miles and Maria learned a fact they would never forget for the rest of their lives: there was nothing in the world quite like the magic of a very first kiss.


	9. The Guitar and the Emerald

Chapter 9 - The Guitar and the Emerald

Miles opened the door of his parents' bedroom closet slowly, careful not to make a sound. His father, mother and sister were all out of the house, making this a perfect time for the lavender hedgehog to set his plan in motion. Miles normally did not disobey Sonic's orders, but his attitude towards the world and life itself had changed at dusk of the previous day, all with a single kiss from a beautiful girl: Maria Geraldine Hedgehog.

Ever since he had shared his very first kiss with the light gray hedgehog, Miles could not stop thinking about her. She had requested they meet again on that Saturday afternoon, a meeting to which the lavender hedgehog was greatly looking forward. He did not, however, wish to meet the beautiful girl in the fields empty-handed. Now that he had managed to become closer to his crush, he wanted more than anything to impress her, and he was sure he knew exactly how to do so.

The young hedgehog rummaged through his parents' belongings for a minute, until he finally found what he was looking for: a large black guitar case, stored against the back wall of the closet behind his mother's dresses and his father's jackets. Miles reached out for the case, and pulled it towards him with a bit of difficulty; a large shelf above the coat hangers' beam was preventing him from lifting the guitar case over the many pairs of shoes Amy kept neatly aligned along the closet floor.

After a minute of careful easing, Miles successfully managed to pull the black case out of the closet. The result of his minor struggle, however, was a small mess of shoes on the floor before him. Not wanting to leave any evidence of his disobedience behind, the 15-year-old hedgehog set about replacing the shoes in their proper places in the closet.

As he placed a pair of black high-heeled shoes against the side wall, a loud noise suddenly echoed from the ground floor of the house up to Sonic and Amy's bedroom. Lily had just arrived home, and upon entering the house, she had shut the front door rather audibly behind her. The resulting thud caught Miles off guard.

THUMP!

The lavender hedgehog bumped his head on the underside of the closet's bottommost shelf as he bolted upright in surprise. Rubbing his head gingerly, Miles turned his attention away from the shoes and guitar case in front of him and stared out the bedroom door nervously. Unfortunately for the boy, his family and all his closest friends, his timing would turn out to be a dangerous mistake... but he wasn't to know that just yet.

The collision of Miles's head with the bottom of the shelf had caused the wooden board holding several of his parents' possessions to shake, dislodging some of the objects from their respective positions. Now, as the young hedgehog kept his attention fixed on the hallway outside the bedroom, a medium-sized chest on the shelf toppled forward. Upon collapsing, the chest's lock was pushed against the wooden board, and it opened of its own accord. From out of the box, a large blue gemstone emerged; it slipped out of the chest, rolled forward off the shelf, and fell silently into the outermost pocket of Miles's guitar case, lodging itself deep into the open compartment.

Afraid of being caught disobeying his father's orders, Miles turned back to the closet just as the blue gem disappeared into his guitar case, and quickly began pushing every one of his parents' belongings visible to him back towards the opposite wall. Among these items was the wooden chest, which was coincidently repositioned upright on the shelf and closed by the lavender hedgehog. Miles then closed the closet door, slung the black case over his shoulder, and hastily made his way out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

The teenage boy carefully peered over the railing of the hallway at the ground floor below. As he did so, he noticed his twin sister walking casually away from the living room and towards the stairway close to the front door. Seeing this, Miles stepped away from the railing, turned around, and lunged at his bedroom door directly in front of him. He opened the door, tossed his guitar case in his room, and shut it again just as Lily appeared on the top steps of the staircase.

The lavender hedgehog leaned his back against his bedroom door, and stared as calmly as he could at his sister, who stared back at him in surprise.

"Hey, Lily!" said Miles in a barely casual voice. "What are you doing here? I thought you were working on a Science project with Sonia at her house."

"I was", Lily replied, eyeing her brother somewhat suspiciously, "but I forgot the book I borrowed from the library. It's not downstairs; I think it might be in my room."

Lily then stepped past her brother towards her own bedroom, watched closely by the lavender hedgehog. When she placed her hand on the doorknob, however, she stopped, turned her head to face Miles, and stared at him curiously.

"What are _you_ doing here, anyway?" she asked, a note of suspicion in her tone. "I thought you were going out too."

"I am", Miles answered innocently. "I just... needed to get something in my room first."

Lily looked down silently at her hand still on the doorknob for a moment, then released the knob and turned completely to face her brother.

"Listen", she began slowly, "I haven't had a chance to ask you this since yesterday, but since Mom and Dad are out, I guess now is the best time to do so..."

The lilac hedgehog hesitated for a few seconds, staring into her twin's green eyes, then voiced the question he already knew she was going to ask.

"Did something... happen between you and Maria yesterday?"

Miles stared at his sister with a serious expression for a minute, then broke into a giveaway smile. That was all the answer she needed; the lilac hedgehog suddenly grinned at the sight of her brother's reaction to her question, and in her newfound excitement, she rushed forward and threw her arms around him.

"Congratulations!" she exclaimed, squeezing him tightly. "You _finally_ stepped up! It was about time!"

Miles laughed as his twin embraced him, happily hugging her back. For a minute, the siblings did nothing more than hug each other in excitement, then Lily released her brother and looked him in the eyes again.

"So does this mean you're going out to see Maria now?" she inquired hopefully.

"Yep", Miles replied, grinning. "I was too embarrassed to tell you before, but since you asked... yes, I'm going out to see her."

Lily was so thrilled by this news that she began to bounce in place and clap her hands joyfully.

"OK, I'll just go get my book and return to Sonia's house. You go out and have a great time with Maria!"

Lily walked back to her bedroom door and opened it swiftly. Before stepping inside her room, though, she paused, glanced back at Miles, and, as though she had somehow read his mind, she added:

"And don't worry about trying to be 'cool', that is, cooler than you already are; I'm sure you'll impress her just by being yourself."

And with that, the lilac hedgehog disappeared into her room, grinning more broadly than ever. Her brother stared after her, and once she had passed through the doorway and out of his sight, the smile faded from his lips.

"Well", he thought, shame suddenly replacing his happiness as he remembered the borrowed electric guitar currently sitting in his bedroom, "that makes one of us."

---

Half an hour later, Lily was out of the house again, as was Miles. The lavender hedgehog was now making his way across the green fields he and Maria had visited the day before, his guitar case slung over his shoulder as he ran. Before long, he came to the hill where he and the light gray hedgehog had shared their first kiss, and as he walked up the mound towards the oak tree, he discovered that, once again, she had arrived there first.

Maria turned to face Miles when she heard his footsteps behind her. Smiling, she invited him to sit beside her in the shade of the tree's branches. The boy gladly accepted the invitation, seating himself to his crush's left and pulling the guitar case off of his shoulder. The light gray hedgehog then pointed to the black case and excitedly inquired about it.

"You brought your guitar?"

Maria did not know that Miles was still grounded from playing his electric guitar, for although he had explained to her why he couldn't bring his own instrument to their bass lessons, he hadn't specified for just how long his punishment would be in effect. The lavender hedgehog had felt embarrassed about being grounded for a month, and so had left that particular detail out of his explanation. As a result of this, the girl currently sitting beside him on the grassy hill now presumed he had been relieved of his punishment, an assumption which Miles had no intention of correcting.

The boy smiled and nodded. As he unzipped the main compartment of the case, he proceeded to explain to the light gray hedgehog why he had brought the instrument with him to the hill.

"For the past week, I've been working on a new song... a song just for you. It was kind of tricky, since I only had my own memory of the chords and an occasional session on Sonia's keyboard to work with. I didn't think I'd ever actually play it for you, but since we shared a... 'moment' yesterday, I figured it would be OK to show you."

Miles pulled his cobalt blue electric guitar out of its case and slung its strap over his head. Maria blushed at her crush's words, smiling timidly at him as he searched for his portable amplifier.

"You wrote me a song?" she asked, flattered. "No one's ever done something like that for me before."

The lavender hedgehog grinned at her as he extracted a small black box from another compartment of the case: the guitar's amplifier. Miles plugged the amplifier's cord into the guitar, then poised his fingers over the instrument's strings. The boy looked up at his crush and winked.

"This song is for you, Maria", he told her, and with that statement, he began to strum his guitar.

Along with possessing excellent skills for playing the electric guitar, Maria discovered that Miles Sonic Hedgehog also had a surprisingly good singing voice. For most of their band's songs, the young hedgehog took on the role of backup vocalist, while his twin sister sang lead. The song Miles had written for the light gray hedgehog was immensely sweet, with chords that softly touched her ears and lyrics that made references to all the wonderful features her admirer noticed in her, including her eyes of celestial blue, her charming combination of intelligence and humility, and most of all, her captivating smile. When the final chord of Miles's song had ceased echoing out of the amplifier, Maria grinned more broadly than ever and applauded.

"That was beautiful!" she exclaimed, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around the boy. "I loved it! Thank you, Miles!"

The light gray hedgehog turned her head and kissed the lavender one on the cheek. Miles blushed profusely at Maria's touch, and immediately felt his heart beating faster, pounding against the inside of his rib cage. After a minute, Maria released her admirer, who smiled shyly back at her and proceeded to pull the strap of his guitar back over his head in order to replace the instrument and its amplifier in their case.

"Do you have the music with you?" the boy's crush asked him as he unplugged the guitar. Miles paused to think, and after a few seconds, he nodded. Maria then requested to see the written music of the song her admirer had just played for her. The lavender hedgehog immediately responded to the request, reaching for his guitar case to retrieve the scrap papers that were the result of a week's worth of composing.

In his hurry to leave his house, Miles had simply stuffed his written music into the outside pocket of his case without even really looking. Now, as he reached into the pocket to extract the sheets, his fingers touched a hard object, one that was definitely not there when the teenage boy handed the case to his father almost three weeks ago.

"What the...?"

Miles closed his fingers around the strange item and removed it from the case. To his astonishment, he discovered he was holding a large gemstone, dark blue in color and brilliant beyond compare. Holding it up to the light, the young hedgehog instantly recognized the gemstone as a Chaos Emerald, and, knowing it must have come from his parents' bedroom closet, he rapidly turned pale at the sight of it.

"Oh, this is not good..." he thought, though he said nothing to the light gray hedgehog sitting beside him. It was best she didn't know that he had broken the rules in order to impress her.

Maria, meanwhile, was staring at the blue gem in her admirer's hand in awe. Unlike Miles, she had never heard of the Chaos Emeralds; Shadow had never told his daughter about them, for fear of the impact the information might have on the young girl. The Chaos Emeralds were an important part of Shadow's past, a part of his past he _didn't_ want Maria to know about.

"What is that?" she asked curiously. At this question, Miles turned to face the girl in surprise.

"It's a Chaos Emerald", the boy explained. "One of a set of seven special gemstones, with some sort of strange power inside them. My dad told me and my sister about them a long time ago, but I've never seen one before. He told us they had all disappeared after he defeated his archenemy, Dr. Eggman, for the last time. How one of them turned up in my guitar case... I couldn't tell you."

Miles held the Emerald out to Maria, in order to let her examine it. The young girl reached out slowly to take the gemstone, as though hypnotized by it. Her hand moved over the blue gem, casting an eerie shadow over it... then, carefully, Maria lowered her fingers and touched the Chaos Emerald.

In that instant, something terrifyingly strange happened. A surge of energy suddenly rushed through the light gray hedgehog, and she gasped as her vision was obscured by total darkness. The next thing she knew, Maria was hearing an eerie voice speaking in her mind, accompanied by a sequence of images flashing before her eyes: a set of seven gemstones in all different colors, a wooden chest containing one of the gems, a room full of mechanical parts and wires, an enormous machine of some sort, and a flash of gold light. As these images danced across her mind, the voice continued to speak the same words, over and over again:

"_The servers are the seven Chaos... Chaos is power, enriched by the heart... The controller is the one who unifies the Chaos..._"

Thirty seconds after Maria had fallen into her trance, the images stopped flashing, the voice died down, and the young hedgehog opened her eyes to see the great blue sky and the oak branches looming above her; evidently she had collapsed to the ground. Before her and a little to her left, she noticed Miles looking down at her, an expression of near panic on his face.

"Maria!" he exclaimed, shaking her shoulder slightly. "Are you OK? I'm so sorry! I... I didn't mean..."

Maria sat up slowly, realizing as she did so that the strange vision had left her with a headache. Placing a hand gingerly on her head, the young hedgehog turned to face the boy next to her, and, despite her confusion, managed to smile weakly.

"It's OK", she told him calmly. "I'm fine. It's not your fault."

The two hedgehogs stared at each other for a moment, then, quietly, they embraced each other. As she leaned her head against Miles's cheek, Maria glanced over his shoulder at the blue gemstone lying on the grass where he had dropped it, not far from where they were kneeling. The light gray hedgehog felt suddenly afraid of it, and found herself wondering whether she should seek more information about the Chaos Emeralds from someone who was sure to understand a great deal about them.

"Dad will understand what all this means", Maria thought as she held Miles tighter. "I know he will."

---

Later that evening, Maria was sitting alone in her living room, pretending to read a book while in truth she was pondering the day's strange event. Questions raced through her mind as she stared blankly at a random page in the novel. Why did the Chaos Emerald have such a powerful effect on her, but not Miles? Was there some connection between her and the gemstones? And what did the vision the Emerald had induced in her mean?

The sound of the front door opening and then closing brought the young hedgehog back to reality. Maria looked up from her book to see Shadow and Crystal entering the living room, having just returned from dinner at the Lucky Rabbit. The two hedgehogs were holding hands, and they smiled at their daughter as she greeted them happily.

Crystal kissed Shadow on the cheek, released his hand, and announced she was going upstairs to work some more on her book. Once the white hedgehog had disappeared up the staircase, Maria's father began inquiring the teenage girl about her day.

"It was good", Maria replied, smiling as she closed her book and placed it on the coffee table. "I saw Miles today. We just... hung out a bit, out in the fields. He played me a song on his guitar; it was really sweet."

"It was just the two of you?" Shadow asked curiously. Maria blushed at her father's question.

"Well... yes. The thing is... we kind of spent some time alone together yesterday. We were just talking, and then one thing led to another, until finally, at some point, we..."

The teenage hedgehog looked down at the ground shyly, suddenly too flustered to say any more. Shadow grinned at his daughter, knowing exactly how she had planned on finishing that sentence.

"Congratulations, sweetheart", he said, a hint of pride in his voice. Maria looked up at her father again, and grinned back at him. Shadow then excused himself and turned around, about to make his way upstairs.

Before he had taken three steps towards the staircase, however, his daughter called him, causing him to stop close to the window in the living room. Shadow turned back to face Maria; the smile had faded from her lips, and she was slowly lifting herself out of her chair. When she was on her feet again, the light gray hedgehog walked over to her dad, choosing her next words carefully as she stepped across the carpet.

"Dad..." she began, looking down at the floor again as she walked. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about..."

"What is it, princess?" Shadow asked calmly, still blissfully unaware of the dangerous questions his daughter was about to ask him.

Maria stopped in front of her father, lifted her head, and looked him directly in his red eyes. Unsure of where to begin with her doubts, the 15-year-old hedgehog decided to ask the simplest of her questions first, which coincidently was the riskiest of them all.

"What are the Chaos Emeralds?"

It was a mistake. At the sound of the last two words, the smile immediately vanished from Shadow's face, and his eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fear. In response to his daughter's question, the black hedgehog hesitated, then whispered a question of his own.

"How do you know about the Chaos Emeralds?"

Maria nervously took a small step back from her father; evidently this was a subject she was not supposed to know about. Before she could reply to his question, however, a strange sight outside suddenly caught both hedgehogs' attention. Shadow turned to his right as Maria turned to her left, both father and daughter staring out the window as a bright flash in the distance met their eyes.

Shadow stared transfixed towards the sight looming in the distance outside his living room window, remaining frozen even after it disappeared several seconds later. Terror and anger were simultaneously beginning to build up inside him, and though it did not show on his face, his daughter picked up on the dangerous combination of emotions. Confusion and fear overtook Maria as she turned to stare at her father, unsure of what the flash was or what was going to happen next.

Suddenly, without offering a single word of explanation, Shadow turned sharply away from the window and rushed to the front door. Once there, the black hedgehog thrust it open, then bolted out the doorway and down the front path to the street below. Maria stared after her father, and as soon as he was out the door, she stepped closer to the window and watched him race towards the source of the strange flash and the odd sight they had both seen a minute before.

Maria did not know it yet, but her life as she knew it was about to change.


	10. The Other Chaos Emerald

Chapter 10 - The Other Chaos Emerald

About half an hour before Maria startled Shadow with her question, Miles was busy trying to correct his own grave mistake. Taking advantage of the fact that his parents and sister were still out of the house, the young hedgehog stood before the bedroom closet from which he had taken his electric guitar, staring into it nervously as though it were the entrance to a dragon's cave. The guitar case was still out of place, he had no idea where the Chaos Emerald belonged, and on top of everything, his family was expected to arrive home any minute. In order to get away with disobeying Sonic, Miles would have to move fast.

The lavender hedgehog picked up the black guitar case next to the closet door and began easing it back into its proper place. Fortunately for Miles, putting the guitar _in_ the closet turned out to be much easier than taking it out; none of his parents' belongings fell out of their respective positions as he replaced his treasured musical instrument against the back wall. Once the case was back where it had been that morning, the teenage boy extracted the mysterious blue gemstone from its outer pocket, stepped back from the closet, and assessed his situation once more.

Where had the Chaos Emerald come from? How did it end up in his guitar case? Miles pondered these questions as he carefully eyed the mess in his parents' closet. After staring down his new challenge for a minute, the young hedgehog began searching for the answers to his doubts, rummaging through the clothes and items piled before him for some clue of the Emerald's rightful place.

Before he could begin searching along the shelf, however, the sound of the front door closing downstairs reached Miles's ears. The lavender hedgehog looked up from the mess before him towards the closed bedroom door, and he paled slightly as he heard his twin sister's voice calling through the house.

"Mom? Dad? Miles? Is anyone home?"

A new sound was suddenly heard echoing up to the master bedroom: footsteps racing up the stairs. Miles turned sharply back to the closet, realizing with a rush of dread that no matter how fast he tried to cover up the mess he had made, it wouldn't be fast enough. Several seconds later, the bedroom door swiftly opened, and Lily's face appeared in the doorway, still calling out for her family.

"Mom? Are you-"

The lilac hedgehog froze as the sight of her brother standing beside the open closet door met her eyes. For a minute, Lily merely gazed stunned at Miles, who was staring silently back at her in fear, rooted to the spot with one hand behind his back. When she finally found her voice again, the young hedgehog wondered aloud:

"Miles? What are you doing?"

The lavender hedgehog did not answer his sister's question, but instead turned slowly to his left to stare into the closet again. Lily looked between the closet and her twin, thinking... and then it came to her. The lilac hedgehog's eyes widened in shock, and she pointed to the closet as she stared at her brother and asked:

"Are you getting your guitar?!"

Miles turned back to face his twin, still frozen in place. There was a note of shame in his voice as he replied to her question.

"Actually... I was putting it back."

"Miles!" Lily exclaimed in disappointment, stepping towards her brother slowly. "You're grounded from playing guitar! You know better than to break the rules like that."

"I know", Miles admitted, looking down at the ground as guilt began to rise within him. "But I just wanted to... borrow it for a couple of hours. I put it back!"

"What were you doing with it in the first place?" his sister continued as she stopped in front of him. The answer came to Lily before her brother could reply, though, and she immediately asked him:

"You were trying to impress Maria, weren't you?"

The lavender hedgehog hesitated, then nodded slowly. Lily sighed in exasperation.

"What did I tell you, Miles? You don't have to pull stunts like that to try and impress a girl, especially a girl as smart as Maria. She already likes you for who you are!"

Miles glanced at the mess in the closet, suddenly recalling the day's strange event. The teenage boy had not planned on revealing the facts to anyone, but now that he had been caught returning his guitar to his parents' bedroom, he decided it would be best to confide in the person who had discovered his secret. The lavender hedgehog faced his sister, and asked her seriously:

"Lily... can you keep a secret?"

Lily Rose Hedgehog was a very outgoing person. She made friends with a minimum amount of difficulty, and enjoyed discussing various subjects with several of her acquaintances. She was not, however, a gossip. Lily was surprisingly good at keeping secrets, a fact of which all her closest friends were well aware, including her brother.

"Of course", she replied, suddenly worried. "Why? What's going on?"

Miles proceeded to tell his sister the details of his meeting with Maria, from the song he had played for her to the strange fainting spell she had experienced. Lily listened intently, her eyes growing wider with each surprising piece of the story.

"Miles, this is bad", she told him seriously after he had finished.

"It gets worse", the lavender hedgehog continued nervously, and he pulled his left hand out from behind his back to reveal the blue Chaos Emerald still in his grasp. "I have no idea where this goes. And if Mom and Dad find out that I took this out of the house, or even out of their bedroom, I'm pretty sure they'll kill me."

Lily gasped at the sight of the blue gemstone; like Miles, she recognized it as a Chaos Emerald, and was aware that it held a special and potentially dangerous power.

"But... how...? In _our house_? Dad said..."

"I know", Miles replied sharply. "From the looks of it, though, Dad didn't tell us the _whole_ truth. But that's not important right now; what's important is that we get this Emerald back in its rightful place, _before_ Mom and Dad come home."

Lily nodded to acknowledge her brother's statement, then set about helping him find the Emerald's proper place in the large closet. The twins searched through the mess for some sort of box or bag from which the gemstone might have emerged, Miles looking beneath the shelf and Lily looking over it. Within minutes, the sister of the pair found such an item.

"Miles!" she called. "What about this?"

The lilac hedgehog placed her hands on either side of the wooden chest she had found and pulled it towards her. Her brother stood up to take a look at the box, and agreed that it seemed like a reasonable place to keep a precious gemstone. As Lily proceeded to press the lock on the chest, however, another sight caught Miles's eye: a chest exactly like the one his twin was opening, sitting on the shelf some way to the right, and therefore closer to the spot where the boy had left his guitar case while looking out the bedroom door earlier that day.

The lavender hedgehog suddenly remembered that he had moved and closed that exact chest in his hurry to leave the bedroom in the afternoon. Realizing that one was the box they were looking for, Miles turned back to his sister and exclaimed:

"Lily, wait!"

If only the young hedgehog had noticed the chest a second sooner, if only it had taken him a second less time to realize its significance, if only his sister had registered his words a second before, it could all have saved several people a lot of heartache in the future. But as fate would have it, Miles had seen the second chest too late, it had taken him too long to figure out it was the right one, and Lily had not registered her brother's exclamation in time. As a result of this, the lilac hedgehog opened the chest in front of her before her twin could stop her, revealing another Chaos Emerald inside it, which was a lighter shade of blue than the one still in Miles's hand.

At first, the twins merely stared at the light blue Emerald in awe, more confused and stunned than ever. Then, suddenly, the gemstone in the chest began to glow, as did the one in the lavender hedgehog's hand. The siblings did not understand it yet, but after being hidden from each other for twenty years, the Chaos Emeralds were reacting with one another once again, each recognizing the other as a fellow source of Chaos power. Within seconds, the gemstones were shining brightly... then, suddenly, a strong jolt of energy connected them, and they emitted a powerful beam of light upwards. The beam passed directly through the ceiling of the room and the roof of the house; it shot straight up towards the sky above, and was visible for miles around, a fact that would prove to be extremely unfortunate for the two teenagers standing closest to the Emeralds in their parents' master bedroom.

Miles and Lily shielded their eyes against the brilliant beam, terrified. The flash of light lingered for several seconds, then finally died down and vanished. The blue gemstones stopped glowing, and the scene appeared to return to normal. The twins slowly lowered their arms from over their eyes and turned to face each other, expressions of shock and intense fear on their faces. And although they said nothing, they were both thinking the exact same thought:

"We are so dead!"

The brother and sister stared at each other in silence for a minute, too stunned to move or speak. Then, suddenly, an ironically frightening sequence of noises brought them back to their senses: the sound of the front door opening, followed by Sonic's voice shouting in the house.

"Miles? Lily?"

At the sound of their names being called by their father, the twins rapidly recovered from their shock and hurriedly began covering up their mishap. Lily swiftly shut the chest containing the light blue Emerald and pushed it back to where she had found it. Realizing he didn't have time to replace the first Chaos Emerald in the other box, Miles simply closed the closet door quickly, and he and his sister rushed out of the bedroom and into the hallway, the blue Chaos Emerald still in the boy's hand.

Miles pushed Lily into her bedroom and raced for his own door further down the hall, reaching it just as Sonic appeared at the top of the staircase. The lavender hedgehog turned around and leaned back against his bedroom door, hiding the Chaos Emerald from his father's stern gaze. For a minute, Sonic simply stared at his son, a look of confusion and near anger on his face. Before he could begin inquiring about the strange beam, however, the sound of loud knocking on the front door reached the hallway, cueing Sonic to turn back to the ground floor and Miles to sigh slightly in temporary relief.

The blue hedgehog made his way back downstairs as the knocking persisted. Once his father had stepped on the ground floor, Miles opened the door against which he had been leaning, carefully tossed the Chaos Emerald inside his room, then closed it again. The boy then inched toward the railing of the hallway and peered over it to see Sonic opening the front door. Lily emerged from her bedroom slowly, and joined her brother by the railing to watch the scene about to unfold downstairs.

Sonic pulled the door open to reveal a black hedgehog with red eyes standing on his Welcome mat: Shadow. The visitor stared at the blue hedgehog with an expression of pure rage.

"Where is he?" was all he said. Sonic raised his eyebrows, calm despite his friend's threatening tone. Miles, however, paled even more at the words, suddenly aware of the dilemma in which he now found himself; if his own father did not kill him, Maria's certainly would.

Sonic stepped aside and gestured for his guest to enter the house. Shadow walked through the open doorway, looking up towards the second floor as he passed the blue hedgehog. Miles and Lily stepped back just in time to hide from his glance, and when the black hedgehog turned away, the sister of the pair sat with her back against the wall to listen while the brother knelt at the railing beside her to stare through the bars. Shadow repeated his question more clearly:

"Where is the boy?"

"Calm down, Shadow", Sonic replied, noticing the anger in the black hedgehog's tone. "What's going on?"

"You don't know? Apparently, your son and my daughter have become sort of a 'couple'."

Miles's face turned red at the sound of this remark; he hadn't told his father about the kiss yet.

"So?" Sonic answered casually. "They really like each other. Isn't that a good thing?"

"I thought so too, at first", Shadow continued. "Until I realized that your son is a bad influence on Maria. A minute ago she came to me and asked me a question about the Chaos Emeralds."

The lavender hedgehog eavesdropping on the conversation suddenly felt the blood rush out of his face. That was it; he would never live to be sixteen. Sonic stared confused at his guest for a minute, though his follow-up question indicated that his confusion was for a different reason than his son's involvement in the issue.

"You haven't told Maria about the Chaos Emeralds?"

Shadow was surprised by this question, but he answered it nonetheless.

"I'd rather she didn't know too much about anything that has to do with my past. She doesn't need to be burdened with that information. I'm her father; that's my decision to make."

Sonic nodded in agreement; what Maria did and did not know about Shadow's dark past was for him and him alone to decide. The black hedgehog continued with his original arguments.

"Well, somehow she found out about the Emeralds' existence, and I suspect it's because of your son. Maria was just telling me about her day, and at first I thought it was very sweet. She told me how she spent time with Miles in the fields, that he played her a song on his guitar-"

If Miles had not been taking extreme care not to make a sound, he would have cursed out loud at that exact moment. Sonic's expression suddenly changed from calm to surprise, and he raised a hand to stop his friend in midsentence.

"Wait, wait, wait... He did _what_?!"

The blue hedgehog thought back for a second on the strange beam of light he had seen a few minutes ago while he had been enjoying an evening out with his wife and their friends. The pieces of the puzzle were now beginning to fall into place. He turned to face the upstairs hallway, and caught sight of his son staring through the bars of the wooden railing.

"Miles!"

The boy responded to his father's shout by standing up slowly, trembling slightly in fear as he moved. Sonic pointed up at the lavender hedgehog and yelled in rage:

"Young man, you just earned yourself another month without your guitar! Now go to your room!"

Miles retreated into the hallway and out of his dad's sight. He did not, however, obey the order he was given, instead taking a seat beside his sister to listen in on the conversation downstairs. A few seconds later, Sonic's voice was heard again.

"I'm very sorry, Shadow. I promise I'll have a talk with him."

There was a distinct pause; Shadow was probably too enraged to reply. After a moment, Sonic spoke again.

"So... what exactly _does_ Maria know about you?"

At this, Miles and Lily leaned slightly towards the railing beside them to catch Shadow's next words. There was another pause, then the black hedgehog's voice was heard once more.

"Only enough to feel like the daughter of a normal father."

The eavesdropping twins exchanged looks of confusion, suddenly intrigued. The sound of their father's voice returned their attention to the conversation.

"How much does she know about your past?"

"She knows about ARK, and about her namesake. She doesn't know about how I came to be here, though."

"How old does she think you are?"

More confused looks from the twins. What did Shadow's age have to do with anything?

"About the same age as you, just a little older."

"Let me ask you this..." Sonic hesitated before asking his friend the riskiest of all his questions. "How much do you love her?"

Frightening noises suddenly reached the ears of the two siblings hiding behind the upstairs wall: a loud thud and something heavy dropping to the ground. Lily moved to stand up and peek over the railing, but she was stopped by Miles, who grabbed her by the arm and placed a finger over his lips; the adults were not supposed to know they were listening. Shadow's voice was heard again, speaking in a dangerously low tone:

"How dare you? My daughter is the most important thing in my life. I would _die_ for her."

Sonic's tone did not lose its calm note. The blue hedgehog simply replied:

"Does she know that?"

A long pause followed this question. Pondering the words carefully, Miles realized that he himself knew the answer. Against his better judgment, the young hedgehog suddenly called out:

"No!"

The word escaped from his lips before he could stop it. The lavender hedgehog subconsciously placed a hand over his mouth, and a second later, he heard his father call his name.

"Miles..."

The young hedgehog stood up slowly and peered around the corner of the wall. He looked over the railing just in time to see Shadow lowering his arm from Sonic's chest; in his outburst, the black hedgehog had pinned the blue one against the wall, knocking over a side table as he moved. Sonic looked up at his son and scolded the boy once more.

"What are you still doing here? Go to your room, now. I'll be up to talk to you in a minute."

Miles started to obey his dad's order, slowly turning around to face his bedroom door. Before he retreated completely into the hallway, however, he glanced back at his crush's father, and spoke to him in a serious tone.

"She doesn't know, Shadow. You should really tell her."

"Miles..." Sonic repeated more sternly.

"Fine, I'm going!" the boy replied, and disappeared from the hall into his bedroom, closing his door behind him. Sonic then called out to his daughter, who he was sure had been home and listening to the conversation along with her brother the entire time.

"You too, Lily. Room, now."

The blue hedgehog did not see his daughter in the upstairs hallway, but a moment later, he did hear the sound of a second door opening and then closing. Once he was sure his kids had ceased their eavesdropping, Sonic turned back to Shadow. The black hedgehog subconsciously began moving towards the staircase, but his friend grabbed him by the arm and stopped him from crossing a line.

"Shadow, I appreciate your concern, but Miles is _my_ son, and I will deal with him _my_ way. Now I think it's best you leave, before we end up reliving some of our old conflicts."

Having nothing more to say, the blue hedgehog opened the front door for his guest. Shadow eyed Sonic angrily for a moment, but responded to the gesture nonetheless. As the black hedgehog stepped over the threshold, Amy appeared just outside the doorway. She watched Shadow walk past without even sparing her a glance, then entered her house to see her husband standing holding the door open, an expression of exasperation on his face.

"What happened?" the pink hedgehog asked as Shadow walked away and Sonic closed the door. "Our friends were really worried; you bolted out of the Lucky Rabbit so fast, anyone who blinked would have sworn you had vaporized!"

Before the Chaos Emeralds in their master bedroom had reacted with one another, Sonic and Amy had been enjoying a quiet dinner with their friends at the Lucky Rabbit. In order to celebrate David's recent promotion to head chef of the restaurant, Cream had invited all of her friends to spend the afternoon out and have dinner there that evening. Shadow and Crystal had left early to check on Maria, but the rest of the group had stayed to chat for a bit. It was intended to be a peaceful evening, a plan that had been effectively ruined by the beam of light brought on as a result of Miles's mistake.

Sonic leaned against the door and closed his eyes for a moment, sighing deeply. He then stood up, looked his wife in her green eyes, and led her over to the living room, straightening the overturned table in the main hall as he moved. Once there, each hedgehog took a seat, and Sonic began explaining to his wife every detail of the episode that had just taken place in their house. By the time he was finished, Amy had a hand over her heart, and her eyes were wide with shock.

"But... Miles couldn't have... How?"

"That's what I intend to find out", Sonic replied, and with that, he stood up and made for the staircase in the main hall, leaving Amy to register everything he had just told her.

The blue hedgehog quickly climbed the stairs and stepped up to his son's bedroom door. When he reached it, he knocked three times. The image of the strange beam of light flashed before his eyes as he waited for a reply, and his confusion subsided slightly to make room for another emotion: disappointment.

"Son", Sonic thought sadly as an invitation for him to enter the room came from the other side of the door, "how could you do this?"

And with that thought echoing menacingly in his mind, the blue hedgehog turned the doorknob slowly, pushed the door open, and disappeared into Miles's room.


	11. Maria's Dream

Chapter 11 – Maria's Dream

Miles sat back on his bed, deep in thought and wracked with guilt and shame. After being sent to his room by his father, the lavender hedgehog had closed his door, paused, then picked up the blue Chaos Emerald he had tossed on the floor earlier on his way over to his bed. He now held it up in the light of his lamp, staring transfixed at its distinct shape against his window in the background. Questions raced through the young hedgehog's mind as the gemstone gleamed brilliantly in his hand.

Why hadn't Shadow told Maria about the Chaos Emeralds, like Sonic had told him? What significance did they have to the black hedgehog's past? And what was that strange beam the gemstones in the master bedroom had emitted when reacting with one another? Miles pondered all of these questions curiously, until three sharp knocks on his door brought him back to reality.

"Come in!" the lavender hedgehog called, swiftly stashing the Emerald beneath his pillow. The door opened a second later, and Sonic stepped into the room. At the sight of his dad walking through his doorway, Miles's heart sank; this was the moment he had been dreading since he and his sister set off the Chaos Emerald reaction earlier that night.

The blue hedgehog closed the door behind him, stopped in the middle of the bedroom floor, and stared quietly at his son for a minute, his arms crossed in front of his chest. The look in his eyes induced a horrible sensation within Miles. The boy knew that look; it was one he hated receiving from anyone, especially from his father.

"Miles", Sonic began after taking a deep breath, "I cannot _begin_ to tell you how disappointed I am in you."

Miles looked down at his knees held close to his chest, feeling almost nauseous at his dad's words. He would have accepted yelling or even having his guitar privileges revoked for a year, but his role model's disappointment was the worst punishment he could ever expect to take. Sonic continued speaking in his calm and unhappy tone:

"What happened, son? How could you disobey me like that? Do you have _any_ idea what you could have started? I've never seen Shadow so angry before, and believe me, that's saying something."

Miles kept his gaze fixed on his knees, carefully avoiding looking his father in the eyes. He wanted to tell Sonic about his feelings for Maria, and how they had driven him to commit an act he normally would never even have considered. But the shame rising within him seemed to stop the words in his throat, and after sitting in silence for a minute, the lavender hedgehog only managed to say a single phrase:

"You wouldn't understand."

At these words, Sonic's expression softened slightly, and a subtle smile crept along his lips. He grabbed the chair by the desk in the room, pulled it up to beside the bed, and took a seat. Crossing his arms over the backrest of the backwards chair, the blue hedgehog placed his head on his wrists and said calmly:

"Try me."

So Miles did. He told his dad about the crush he had on Maria, about the kiss they had shared in the fields, and about borrowing his guitar back for a while so he could play her a song. The teenager was careful not to mention anything about taking the Chaos Emerald out of the house, instead skipping straight to when he returned the guitar to the closet and accidentally set off the beam. Sonic listened intently to the story, and once his son had finished, he paused for a moment to consider every detail.

"Well..." the blue hedgehog began slowly, "I can tell you this much, Miles: you're not the first teenage boy ever to break the rules in order to win the heart of a girl, and you won't be the last. Trust me on that; I understand your situation perfectly.

"Having said that... it was wrong of you to take the guitar without permission, even if you _did_ plan on putting it back. Because of that, your punishment has been extended by another month, effective from the day you _would_ have received your guitar back.

"As for the Chaos Emeralds, now that you know where two of them are, you are not allowed to tell anyone about them. Those gemstones are to remain a family secret, understood?"

Miles nodded to acknowledge his father's stern words, though he didn't say anything else. Sonic then stood up, replaced the chair by his son's desk, and walked back to the doorway. When he had opened the door, however, he paused, then turned back to face his son and give him one last piece of information.

"By the way, I'll be locking my bedroom closet from now on. From the looks of it, you've successfully managed to damage my trust in you, at least for the next few months."

And with that, the blue hedgehog disappeared into the hallway again, leaving Miles to stare open-mouthed after him, feeling more awful now than he ever had before in his life.

---

The next day, the young hedgehog made his way to Maria's house for their weekly bass lesson. He was hoping that everything had returned to as normal a state as possible after the episode he had caused the day before, though his hopes were not high as he reached the house and stepped up the path to his crush's front door.

As it turned out, Miles had good reason to feel pessimistic, for upon reaching the Welcome mat, he heard voices speaking harshly on the other side of the door. The lavender hedgehog reached up to ring the doorbell, but before he could press the button, he suddenly heard his name mentioned by the deeper of the two voices. After hesitating for a few seconds, Miles lowered his hand and leaned in closer to the door to listen.

"That boy is a bad influence on our daughter", said the voice that had spoken his name. "I really think this is the best option."

"But she really likes him!" said the second voice, which was softer and slightly more calm than the first. "You can't just make rash decisions like this. It isn't fair to Maria!"

"I'm her father; I know what's best for her. This is for her own good."

Miles did not like what this conversation was suggesting, but he continued to listen in anyway.

"Still, Shadow, you shouldn't just make all her choices for her. Is this how things would be if you were raising her alone, as was _almost_ the case? What will happen if I get sick again?"

"Don't say things like that, Crystal. In any case, I understand that Maria is old enough to make her own decisions. But this is different; this is about the Chaos Emeralds. If she knew... if she had any idea of their connection to me, to _her_..."

There was a pause, then Crystal's voice was heard again, speaking in a sympathetic tone.

"I know. But you can't blame Miles for all this; he's only fifteen. Maria and her friends are only teenagers; they don't understand how important the Emeralds are to their parents."

"And that's exactly how things should stay."

"Well, Maria may look like both of us equally on the _outside_, but _inside_, she's you. Sooner or later, she's going to find out the truth, and it's best if she learns it from you. You have to tell her."

Shadow hesitated for a moment before finally replying in his strict voice:

"I've made my decision."

Something in his tone made it clear to Miles that the conversation was over. The lavender hedgehog took this moment to reach up again and ring the doorbell. A few seconds later, footsteps were heard slowly approaching the door, followed by a loud thump and a third voice calling out.

"Dad, wait! Let me get it, please!"

A moment later, the front door opened, and Maria appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were slightly red, and her cheeks were wet: she had been crying. Wiping her cheek with her left hand, the light gray hedgehog spoke to the boy before her in a sad tone.

"Hello, Miles."

"Maria!" Miles replied, concerned. "What's wrong?"

The light gray hedgehog stepped outside, closing the door behind her. She looked down for a moment, as though she were about to tell her friend bad news but wasn't sure how to begin, which unfortunately was exactly the case.

"Miles..." she began, looking up and still speaking in her sad voice, "I told my dad about what happened yesterday. He came home after... visiting your house, and he started asking me what I knew about the Chaos Emeralds."

"What exactly did you tell him?"

"I told him what you told me: that there are seven of them, and they have some special power. I also told him about my fainting spell, after touching the one you showed me. I'm so sorry, Miles, but I had to tell him about that; he kind of... scared it out of me."

Miles nodded, understanding completely; Shadow could be very persuasive when he wanted to. The light gray hedgehog continued:

"Well, once my dad found out what happened, he got really mad. He told me to stay away from the Chaos Emeralds; he says they're dangerous. Then we sort of had an argument. A really, _really_ bad argument."

Maria hesitated as she stared at Miles, and he saw that fresh tears were now falling down her cheeks. The lavender hedgehog suddenly felt his heart sink, somehow certain that the words he was about to hear next would be horrible news to him. Unfortunately, he was absolutely right.

"Miles... my dad says you're a bad influence on me, and... he doesn't want me to see you anymore."

The words seemed to pierce Miles's heart like a knife. Could this really be happening? After he had come so close to winning over the one girl for whom he had ever had true feelings, would she really disappear from his life, just like that?

"But..." he stammered. "How...? It's not fair..."

"I know, and I tried to talk him out of it, Miles", Maria continued, stifling sobs now, "but I couldn't change his mind. He forbade me from spending time with you or anyone close to you, including Lily, Sonia and Rex. And I can't go against my dad's word. I... I can't be your friend anymore, Miles. I'm so sorry."

Tears were now streaming from the young hedgehog's eyes. Her voice faltered, and she couldn't say any more. The two teenagers stared quietly at one another for a minute, until finally Miles managed to recover his senses and find his voice.

"Well, then... I guess... this is good-bye."

Miles wrapped his arms around his crush as a knot began to form in his own throat. Maria hugged him back tightly, and after the two teenagers had exchanged farewells, the lavender hedgehog walked solemnly down the front path, away from the house of the girl who had captured his heart. The instant he stepped on the street, however, he heard his crush call his name.

"Miles, wait!"

The teenage boy turned around to see Maria running down the path after him. When she reached him, she threw her arms around him, and thrust her lips to his. The two hedgehogs remained locked in each other's embrace for a long moment, sharing what they both thought to be a bittersweet last kiss.

When it was over, Miles released the light gray hedgehog, looked deeply into her dark blue eyes, and gently squeezed her hands in his. He then stepped back, turned around, and ran away, tears rolling down both hedgehogs' cheeks as Maria watched her admirer disappear into the distance.

---

The week succeeding the heartbreaking farewells was probably one of the worst of Miles's and Maria's lives. Every time they crossed paths in the hallways at school, they would exchange awkward glances, then go their separate ways. Whenever the light gray hedgehog entered a classroom and noticed her crush sitting at his desk staring back at her, she would immediately lower her gaze and walk over to a desk on the other side of the room, stifling a small sob as she took a seat.

For five days this situation dragged on, not only painful for the two teenagers still attracted to each other, but for their three friends who had also had their hopes smashed by Shadow's decision. On Friday, Miles, Lily, Sonia and Rex sat together at their usual lunch table, from which they watched sadly as Maria took a seat at a small table by herself.

The four friends watched as the light gray hedgehog was approached by several other students who were aware of her situation: Angelica Bat, the school's cheerleading captain, along with her cheerleading squad; Eric Fox, a young computer expert who had a crush on Sonia; Calvin Hedgehog, the Vice President of the Science club; Eugene Princeton and Alex Crocodile, who were still being shunned by their fellow students as bullies; and even Murdoc Vampire Bat and Stephanie Cat, who had few friends and sported reputations as loner punk teenagers. To each of the students who approached her, Maria simply insisted that she wanted to be alone, and each time someone walked away from the table, Miles felt his heart break a little bit more.

Every night throughout the entire week, Miles dreamed about Maria. These dreams mostly involved him running and running towards the light gray hedgehog in the distance, but never managing to come any closer. He would move his feet as fast as he could, but try as he might, he could not reach his crush. Maria would stare solemnly at him as he tried to run towards her, until the ground broke beneath his feet, and the next thing he knew, he was falling, falling through darkness... and then he would wake up. After glancing outside his bedroom window for a moment, the lavender hedgehog would then close his eyes and fall asleep again. This was how Miles spent his nights for the whole week.

From Monday morning to Friday afternoon, nothing regarding the Chaos Emeralds happened to any of the five teenagers. On Friday night, though, the gemstones reemerged as a major concern for one of them, who coincidently was the one with the most significant connection to the Emeralds.

Maria lay in her bed that night, having just cried herself to sleep after a long discussion with her mother. Crystal had insisted to her daughter that Shadow only wanted what was best for her, and that Miles was most likely just a phase in her life. Maria had replied with little more than a few sobs and a comment that her father was being unreasonable.

The light gray hedgehog now lay with her head pressed against her tear-stained pillow, dreams beginning to float across her thoughts. As it so happened, the one which ultimately settled in her mind was not a true dream at all: it was a vision.

Maria found herself in a dark scene, surrounded by a strange white mist. For a minute, nothing seemed to happen; the young hedgehog simply glanced around, looking for something that would catch her attention. She found it; a bright light suddenly began to shine somewhere in the dark, and the hedgehog quickly turned to face it. At first, she saw nothing but an ominous glow before her, but then, once the light faded, Maria saw a person standing there: a young human girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

The light gray hedgehog stared silently at the girl for a moment, trying hard to figure out who she was. The girl was positioned a short distance away, standing slightly above Maria and looking down at her with a calm expression on her sweet face. She then began to speak to the hedgehog.

"Maria..."

Maria was instantly captivated by that voice, so soft, so gentle. The light gray hedgehog stepped closer to the girl and listened intently to what she had to say.

"Maria... the world needs you. Balance has been lost. The fate of the world depends on you and your friends. You must recover what has been missing for so many years."

"'Missing'?" Maria repeated, confused. "But... what is missing? And what can _I_ do?"

"You must uncover the source of Chaos power, in order to bring Control back to the world. Without Control, Chaos shall prevail, and the world will fall into darkness."

"'Chaos power'?"

The girl slowly extended her left hand with her open palm facing up, and a second later, a silver gemstone appeared, floating above the girl's fingers. Maria stared transfixed at it, suddenly afraid.

"The Chaos Emeralds?" said the light gray hedgehog warily. "But... Dad told me to stay away from them..."

"Your father, as much as he cares for your safety, does not realize the significance you hold in regard to the world. This particular Emerald is closer than you may think."

"How close?"

The girl smiled subtly before answering:

"Search behind the family portrait in your house. There is a chest hidden in the secret compartment of the wall. The key is in your father's heart."

After those last words had been spoken, five symbols appeared out of thin air, floating between the human girl and the teenage hedgehog. Maria studied the symbols carefully; they were ancient runes, and she couldn't understand what they meant. A minute later, the scene began to fade; the runes and the Emerald vanished, and the girl began to disappear. Before she faded away completely, her voice was heard echoing in Maria's ears:

"Find the Emerald. Help us, Maria. The world needs you."

And with that, Maria opened her eyes to find herself back in her bed in the real world, trembling slightly from the vision and suddenly feeling the burden of destiny weighing her down.


	12. Chaos Renewed

Chapter 12 - Chaos Renewed

All morning, Maria thought back on the vision she had the night before about the girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Had it only been a dream, or did she really have a purpose to fulfill? There was only one way to find out, and the young hedgehog was not going to risk discovering the truth while her father was still around to catch her disobeying him.

So Maria waited until the afternoon, when her parents would go out to Cream's vernissage and she would be left alone in the house. The young hedgehog bid Shadow and Crystal goodbye, waited until they had disappeared from her view from the living room window, then hurried upstairs to the large family portrait just down the hall from the master bedroom.

The light gray hedgehog stared quietly at the picture of herself standing beside her parents for a minute. She then eased the portrait off the wall, placed it gently on the ground, and found the hidden compartment to which the girl in her dream had referred. Within minutes, Maria was staring through the secret door at a large wooden chest with ancient symbols carved into it. The chest had a special lock, set to open with a combination of runes aligned correctly along the design of the Chaos Emerald.

The teenage hedgehog's heart began to race as she thought back on her vision. She recalled the sequence of symbols the girl had shown her, as well as the enigmatic message the girl had spoken.

"The key is in your father's heart."

But what did that mean? Maria began turning the dials on the lock to match the symbols she had seen in her dream, still unaware of their meaning. Once the five runes were aligned correctly, the young hedgehog pressed the lock shaped as a Chaos Emerald, and the chest opened to reveal a silver gemstone in its interior.

Maria's eyes widened at the sight of the Chaos Emerald. A mixture of emotions suddenly rushed through her, including fear, confusion, and anger. She remembered what had happened the last time she had touched one of the Emeralds, but for some reason she felt compelled to pick up the one before her now and examine it. As the young hedgehog slowly reached out to take the gemstone, however, she was caught off guard by another emotion: surprise.

When her fingers were an inch away from the silver Chaos Emerald, a hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Maria by the wrist, stopping her from touching the gem. The hand pulled her roughly back as a second hand appeared to close the chest and slam the compartment door shut. A second later, the light gray hedgehog found herself looking directly into Shadow's red eyes, pure rage burning clearly within them.

"Downstairs", he muttered angrily through his teeth. "Now!"

Too afraid to answer back, Maria rushed down the flight of stairs to the ground floor, while her father replaced the family portrait on the wall. In the main hall, the young hedgehog encountered her mother, who was waiting for Shadow. Crystal had forgotten a bouquet of flowers she wanted to give Cream at the art exposition, so the couple had returned home to retrieve the flowers still in the white hedgehog's study. This would prove to be extremely unfortunate for Maria, who was practically trembling in fear by the time her father returned downstairs bearing the bouquet he had originally intended to retrieve for his wife.

Shadow handed the flowers to the white hedgehog, then beckoned his daughter into the living room. The two hedgehogs stepped into the room, watched closely by Crystal, who remained in the main hall and was suddenly concerned about both of them. Once inside the living room, Shadow turned to look Maria in her dark blue eyes, and began scolding her for her disobedience.

"How could you, Maria? I told you to stay away from the Chaos Emeralds; they're dangerous!"

"But, Dad..." Maria stammered back. Shadow did not let her talk, instead continuing to speak in his harsh tone.

"I thought I could trust you, and then I come home and find you looking in my secret safe, reaching out to touch a Chaos Emerald! Even after your fainting spell, you're still seeking them out! How could you disobey me like that, after I warned you about the Emeralds?"

"How could you not tell me there was a Chaos Emerald _in our house_?!" Maria suddenly yelled back. Her anger at her father had finally risen to the surface, and she was fed up with being kept in the dark. Shadow was slightly taken aback by his daughter's response, but he didn't drop his strict attitude as he replied:

"That Chaos Emerald was never meant to be found by you, or anyone else for that matter. It was _supposed_ to remain hidden from the world, in order to avoid issues such as that episode your friend caused last week."

"What else are you not telling me, Dad? Why is it that I fainted after touching a Chaos Emerald, but Miles didn't? What was that weird beam we saw Saturday night? What is my connection with the Emeralds?"

"If there are things I don't tell you, it's because I feel you're not ready to understand them. You're too young to be burdened with that information."

"Then tell me this: why can't I see Miles anymore? You and I both know that what happened last week wasn't really his fault. He didn't mean to take the Emerald out of his house, I know he didn't!"

"I've told you already: that boy is a bad influence on you."

"You don't even know him, Dad!"

"But I do know his father!" Shadow inhaled a deep breath after shouting this last sentence. Maria stared incredulously at the black hedgehog, stunned by what he had just said.

"Sonic the Hedgehog is a hero!"

"Sonic the Hedgehog was a reckless teenager, who had no respect for the rules and only ever did what _he_ wanted. Fortunately for everyone, what he wanted was to help society; if he had wanted just the opposite, we'd all be in a lot of trouble. Well, I know for a fact that Miles Hedgehog wants to be exactly like his father someday, and if he gets his wish, he'll be just as reckless and disrespectful as Sonic ever was. And that's not the kind of boy I want you socializing with. I stand firmly by what I said before: you are not allowed to see that boy ever again."

Maria gazed at her father with a heartbroken expression on her face, feeling all her hopes being smashed by his stern words. Tears began to stream down her cheeks again, and she couldn't say any more. Instead, she rushed past Shadow and Crystal, flung the front door open, and bolted out the doorway towards the fields in the distance, sobbing miserably as she ran away.

Shadow hurried to the open doorway, but before he could chase after his daughter, his wife grabbed him by the arm and held him back. Crystal insisted that Maria needed to be alone for a while, and after a minute of struggling with his instinct, the black hedgehog finally gave in, ultimately closing the front door behind him as he and the white hedgehog stepped calmly outside to make their way to the art exposition they had originally planned to attend.

---

An hour earlier, back at Sonic's house, Miles had also found himself in a sulky mood. During lunch that day, the lavender hedgehog barely touched his food, except to push his string beans around with his fork to form a large letter M on his plate. The other three hedgehogs sitting at the dining room table noticed his attitude, and after a while, his mother spoke up.

"Miles, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

The teenage boy looked up at Amy, who was staring back at him with concern in her eyes. Miles replied that nothing was wrong, though his tone gave away that it was a lie. Unsure of how to cope with her son's depressing attitude, the pink hedgehog decided to change the subject, now addressing both of her offspring.

"So, kids... how is school?"

Lily replied that school was fine, and that she was doing well in all her subjects. Miles, however, excused himself from the table, went upstairs, and returned a minute later with a sheet of paper in his hand. Taking a seat at the table again, the lavender hedgehog passed the paper to his parents without looking them in the eyes, and explained why he was handing it to them.

"I need you to sign this."

Sonic took the sheet in his hand and examined it. It was a Geography test, and in the top right corner of the paper, a large "40%" was scribbled in red ink. The blue hedgehog lowered the test and gave his son a disappointed look.

"An F in Geography? Miles, this is your favorite subject! You always get A's in Geography!"

It was true. Miles, Lily, Sonia and Rex had a sort of coincidental system for studying: each friend had a different school subject they liked best, in which they would always receive high grades and for which they would effectively help the rest of the group study. Lily's best subject was Science, Sonia's was Math, Rex's was History, and Miles's was Geography. Ever since Maria had been cut out of his life, though, the lavender hedgehog had acquired a difficulty for concentrating in class, and this fact, in turn, had cost him the good grade he would normally have received on that week's test.

Sonic and Miles discussed the test throughout the rest of lunch. Miles apologized for receiving such a low grade, though he didn't explain to his parents why he had failed the exam. Sonic, in turn, agreed to sign the paper, and insisted that his son study hard in order to ace his next test. When the discussion was over, the lavender hedgehog requested to leave the table.

"But you hardly touched your food!" Amy exclaimed. Miles replied that he wasn't hungry, and he just wanted to be alone.

"I'll be in my room", he announced, and with that, he left the dining room and retreated to his bedroom upstairs.

While the three hedgehogs still downstairs cleared the table after lunch, Amy gave Sonic a meaningful look, and insisted he go upstairs to talk to their son. Sonic replied that it might be more appropriate if Miles had this particular conversation with his mother instead.

"But who could understand him better than you?", Amy told her husband while she began to wash the dishes in the kitchen sink. "After all, Miles really is your son: stubborn and proud."

"Are you kidding?" Sonic retaliated as he and Lily piled dirty dishes beside the sink. "The boy is completely smitten over a girl he's known for less than a month!"

"So?"

"So..." Sonic smiled, leaned in close to Amy's ear, and softly spoke the last words of his argument, "he's your son too."

The pink hedgehog eyed her husband in a pleading manner, until finally he gave in and agreed to talk to Miles. If there was one thing sixteen years of marriage had taught Sonic, it was that there was no resisting that soft stare of Amy's.

Some time later, a knock came at Miles's door. The teenager called for the person on the other side to enter, once again hiding under his pillow the blue Chaos Emerald he had been examining, which unfortunately he had not been able to return to its rightful place since last week's episode, and was therefore still being kept as a secret in his room. The door opened, and Sonic stepped inside the room, bearing a plate with a slice of Amy's chocolate cake and a fork on it.

The blue hedgehog placed the dish and the fork on his son's nightstand, explaining to Miles that his mother had sent it up. The lavender hedgehog glanced sideways at the slice of cake, then, to his dad's relief, he picked up the plate and fork and began eating. While Miles consumed his mother's best dessert, Sonic pulled the only chair in the room up to the bed and sat down, staring directly at the teenager with concern in his eyes.

"Miles", he began slowly, "before your mother and I leave to go to Cream's art exposition... I think we should talk about this whole Maria thing."

Miles swallowed the piece of cake in his mouth, and carefully avoided his father's gaze as he replied:

"I'd rather not talk about it, Dad."

Sonic ignored the comment, instead choosing to continue the discussion.

"Son... I know you really like her, and that she's special to you. I understand completely how you feel, and honestly, I don't blame you for being upset. Nobody does."

Miles replaced the now empty plate and clean fork on his nightstand, and chose this moment to look his father directly in the eye. He then began to speak in a tone layered with a mixture of frustration and disappointment.

"'Upset' is an understatement, Dad. I was so close! I kissed her; she liked me! I had her! And now she's gone? It just doesn't make sense! It's all just so... unfair!"

"Well, unfortunately, life isn't fair sometimes, Miles."

"But couldn't you have done something about it, Dad? Couldn't you have stood up for me? You just let Shadow cut us all out of Maria's life! We watch her at school; she's all alone now. It's not fair to her!"

"Miles..." Sonic replied, trying to remain calm despite his son's frustrated tone, "I don't like this any more than you do. But Shadow is Maria's father, and this is his decision to make, no one else's. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

"So you're just gonna let this go on?" Miles was yelling now, his emotions rising to the surface. "You can't possibly understand how unfair this is!"

Sonic replied in a frustrated tone, raising his voice to just below a shout.

"Like I said, Miles: life is unfair. Sometimes you're born in the middle of a war, and you don't get to meet your father until you're nine years old, and when you're eight, your mother almost drowns in a lake close to your house, and the experience is so traumatic that you never, _ever_ manage to learn to swim! And then, years later, when you're a hero and everyone admires you, you realize there's a price to pay for living the life you lead, because it keeps you from being with the one person you can see yourself spending the rest of your life with! So don't tell me I don't understand that life is unfair, because believe me, _no one_ understands that better than I do."

Miles ceased arguing with his dad, suddenly realizing that the conversation was no longer about him. Sonic sighed deeply in order to calm himself, and after a minute of silence had passed, both hedgehogs heard a knock on the open door. Turning to face the doorway, they saw Amy standing in the hallway outside, dressed to go out.

"Sonic?" she said cautiously, staring at her husband. "Let's go?"

Sonic nodded to his wife, then stood up, replaced the chair by the desk, and walked over to the pink hedgehog waiting for him. When the blue hedgehog reached the doorway, his son called him, cueing him to turn around and hear the teenager's question.

"Dad... is there any point in me asking about the Chaos Emeralds?"

Sonic pondered the question for a moment, then shook his head solemnly. Now that Miles knew there were two Emeralds in the house, it was too risky to let him know any more about the gemstones. The lavender hedgehog nodded to signal that he understood his dad's decision, then apologized for his outburst. The blue hedgehog accepted the apology, and he and his wife bid their son goodbye before disappearing into the hallway, closing the bedroom door behind them.

"I swear, Amy", Sonic muttered as he walked down the stairs with the pink hedgehog, "sometimes I worry that our son doesn't know how good he's got it."

"For what?" Amy replied curiously, smiling subtly. "For having parents who love him?"

"For having parents. Period."

Amy hesitated when she reached the ground floor, then voiced a comment that revealed to her husband that she had been listening to the discussion upstairs.

"You know, Sonic... what happened to your mother was not your fault. Nobody blames you; it was an accident."

Sonic opened the front door and stood back to let his wife pass. He avoided her gaze as he replied:

"Tell that to my uncle. He was never able to look at me the same way since that day."

Amy stepped through the open doorway, but before her husband could follow her out, she turned back to him and asked him one last question.

"Did you ever really regret being a hero because of me?"

Sonic grinned at his wife's words, and winked at her before answering:

"Maybe, a little. What can I say, honey? You were worth it."

And with that, the Hedgehog couple closed the door and walked down the front path of the house, laughing as they set off for Cream's vernissage.

Meanwhile, back in his bedroom, Miles extracted the Chaos Emerald once more from underneath his pillow. The lavender hedgehog held it up to the light entering the room from the window, and as he watched it gleam in his hand, he made a decision.

"Well", he thought determinedly, "if Dad won't give me the answers I want... then I'll just go after them myself."

---

A short while later, Miles was racing across the open fields at high speed in the direction of Angel Island, the blue Emerald clasped tightly in his left hand. He was sure that if it was at all possible to find answers to his questions about the Chaos Emeralds, Angel Island would be the first sensible place to look. As he crossed the fields, however, the lavender hedgehog suddenly heard a noise that caused him to stop in his tracks. Retracing his steps, Miles realized that the noise was coming from a small hill with a tall oak tree on its crest and roses growing all around it.

Recognizing the hill as the very place where he had kissed his crush for the first time, the young hedgehog scaled the mound quickly, taking a guess at what the sound could be. As he approached the oak tree, the noise grew louder in his ears, and upon reaching the top of the hill, Miles confirmed that his guess was correct: sitting in the shade of the tree, sobbing with her arms around her knees and her face pressed against them, was Maria Geraldine Hedgehog.

"Maria!" Miles exclaimed as he saw her. "What are you doing here?"

The light gray hedgehog looked up, startled. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were soaked with tears, but at the sight of the lavender hedgehog, she managed to smile weakly.

"Hello, Miles", she whispered, gazing up at him fondly; evidently he was the only person she wanted to see right now. "Please, come sit beside me."

Miles stayed where he was, afraid to approach the girl for whom he still had feelings.

"I thought you weren't supposed to see me anymore", he replied cautiously. At this comment, the smile faded from Maria's lips, and she turned sadly to face the west horizon as she responded to her admirer's remark.

"Well, I don't really care. So far, seeing you again is the best thing that's happened to me all day."

Miles hesitated to consider his crush's words, then slowly stepped close to her and took a seat by her side. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he asked her:

"What happened?"

"Well... my dad and I had a fight. A really big fight."

Maria told Miles every detail of her experiences in the past 24 hours, from the dream she had about the young girl to being caught finding the Chaos Emerald in her house by her father. When the light gray hedgehog finished her story, her admirer paused to consider what she had said. A minute later, he released her and held up the Chaos Emerald still in his hand.

"Come with me to Angel Island", he said as Maria stared nervously at the gemstone. "If your dad won't tell you what you want to know about the Emeralds, then I'm sure we can find answers there together."

But they would never make it to Angel Island, for as Miles helped Maria to her feet, they both suddenly heard a deep voice speak behind them.

"Not so fast, young man."

It was a voice that chilled Miles to his very core. Turning slowly around, the young hedgehog saw a large machine standing lower on the hill: some sort of robot. The mecha had a hollow glass case embedded in the center portion of its figure, and a small screen was placed on top of the machine. On the screen, a head was visible, though it was hidden in shadows and Miles couldn't make out its face. As he tried to figure out who the speaker was, the voice spoke again.

"I'll take that."

One of the robot's arms suddenly shot forth at high speed and snatched the Chaos Emerald out of Miles's hand before he had time to blink. The mecha then retracted its arm and stashed the gemstone in a small compartment just above its glass case. As the hedgehogs stared stunned at the mysterious machine, the deep voice continued in its menacing tone:

"And now for the pair of you."

The robot began to rapidly extend its other arm towards Maria. The light gray hedgehog screamed in terror, but fortunately for her, the lavender hedgehog beside her had recovered his wits and proved to be faster than the mecha. Miles quickly pulled his friend out of the mechanical arm's path, then grabbed her by the wrist and yelled:

"RUN!"

The lavender hedgehog pulled the light gray one behind him, and together they hurried away down the opposite side of the hill from the machine. The mecha retracted its second arm, then engaged the thrusters in its back and propelled itself into the air to chase after the teenagers.

Miles and Maria raced across the fields towards the safety of the secluded Angel Island, the mecha close on their tail. Unfortunately, because Miles could not risk running so fast that Maria could not keep up with him, the robot soon caught up with them, and began flying directly above their heads. Once there, the machine released a large rope net from one of its hidden compartments, and successfully ensnared both hedgehogs within it.

The teenagers tripped on the rope net entangling their feet, and after tumbling painfully to the ground, they felt themselves being lifted up out of the net and into the glass case of the robot that had been chasing them. The case turned out to be large enough to hold two adolescent hedgehogs somewhat comfortably, and as the mecha rose into the air once more, Maria threw her arms around Miles and began to cry.

"Miles, what's gonna happen to us?"

The lavender hedgehog held his admirer tight as he stared out of the glass towards the shrinking scene outside. Unsure of how to comfort her, he simply replied nervously:

"I don't know, Maria."

Miles would never admit it to Maria, but like her, he was more terrified than he had ever been before in his life.


	13. Missing in Action

Chapter 13 - Missing in Action

Sonic ran down the street towards the great building in the distance, worried about the situation with which he was faced. Something had happened that had never happened before, or rather, something _didn't_ happen that normally did. The blue hedgehog reached the building and stepped through the large door into the workshop, certain that if there was anyone who could help him with his problem, it was his best friend.

Sonic stepped close to the enormous jet before him, and spotted a pair of orange fox tails poking out from underneath the machine. The hedgehog walked around the jet, stood beside the tails, and called to their owner.

"Tails?"

The rest of the person hidden beneath the jet rolled out on the wheeled board on which they were lying. Upon seeing the fox's hazel irises and curled bangs, Sonic realized that it wasn't his brother, but his niece.

"Oh, hi, Sonia!" he corrected himself. "Where's your dad?"

Shortly after turning thirteen, Sonia had been invited by her father to step up from building model airplanes and start helping him build _real_ aircrafts in his workshop. Tails recognized the same potential in his daughter that had once shone brightly in himself, and he was thrilled to have the intelligent young girl work with him on his latest designs, occasionally even letting her add an idea or two of her own.

The 15-year-old vixen stood up and wiped her grease-covered hands roughly on her dirty overalls, smiling at the blue hedgehog.

"Hi, Uncle Sonic!" she replied happily, then pointed towards a door not far off from where she stood. "Dad's in the design room."

Sonic thanked his niece, then walked over to the door she had indicated. Once there, he knocked on the door and waited. A moment later, it opened swiftly, and Tails appeared. The fox greeted his brother happily, and invited him into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Tails", Sonic began, getting straight to the point of his visit, "have you seen Miles?"

"Not since Friday", Tails replied, eyeing his brother curiously. "Why?"

"He didn't come home last night. I figured he was still upset about the whole Maria situation, so I decided to give him some space. When I realized he wasn't home this morning, though, I started getting worried. He's been out all night before, but he always comes home by morning."

Tails pondered the hedgehog's words, suddenly concerned as well.

"Maybe he stayed at a friend's house. Did you try going over to Knuckles's place? Miles might have sought refuge with Rex last night."

"Maybe you're right", Sonic agreed. "I'll try looking there. Thanks, Tails!"

"No problem. See you later!"

Tails escorted his best friend to the entrance of the garage, then watched as he sped off in the direction of Knuckles's house. When the hedgehog had disappeared into the distance, the fox retreated into his workshop to help his daughter, silently hoping that Miles would be found soon.

But upon visiting the echidna's home, Sonic discovered that Miles was not there. The hedgehog began to worry even more has he spoke with Tikal, who was in the house only with her son.

"I'm sorry, Sonic", the red-orange echidna told her friend standing on the house's Welcome mat. "Miles hasn't come by. Knuckles is on his way to Angel Island now; I'm sure if he sees Miles there, he'll let you know."

"OK", the blue hedgehog replied gratefully. "Thank you, Tikal."

As Tikal closed the door of her house, Sonic proceeded to run across town in search of his son, anxiety mounting within him with each stride he took. The hedgehog did not know it yet, but Miles was not anywhere in Green Hill, nor was he anywhere in the world itself for that matter.

---

High above the stratosphere, in a secret space station base, Miles Sonic Hedgehog and Maria Geraldine Hedgehog were sitting shivering in a large cage-like prison, made primarily of steel and glass. They had been forced to spend the night there, holding each other close to keep warm and wondering all the while what would become of them. They did not understand why they had been captured, or who could have committed such a horrible act. All they knew was that they longed more than ever for their families, and they hoped beyond hope that Sonic and Shadow would soon discover what had happened and come to their rescue.

As Maria sat in a corner and cried while Miles tried to console her, the hedgehogs' captor suddenly appeared before them, stepping into the floor outside the cage from the shadows. The teenagers looked up at him, and for the first time since he saw the robot yesterday afternoon, the lavender hedgehog could clearly make out the villain's face, as well as his entire figure.

The human man was tall and round, and he was wearing dark glasses and a red suit to match what was left of the color in his long mustache, which was mostly streaked with gray. His face appeared to be badly burned, but the man's most awful feature was his smile. That smile... it was a grin layered with pure evil, and it caused a shiver to run down Miles's spine. The teenage boy instantly recognized his captor as the villain from the stories his father used to tell him about his adventures: a mad scientist with a lust for world domination, but who was thought to be dead by the entire world.

"Dr. Eggman!" Miles muttered, fury suddenly replacing his fear. The evil scientist laughed and clapped his hands in mock congratulations.

"Bravo, young Hedgehog", replied the villain, still grinning horribly. "Your father has taught you well. Indeed, it is I: Dr. Ivo Eggman Robotnik, mad scientist extraordinaire, back from the dead to seek revenge on the world, especially on that wretched Sonic the Hedgehog."

Miles suddenly sprang to his feet and rushed towards Eggman, slamming into the other side of the cage with burning rage in his eyes. The young hedgehog was not willing to tolerate anyone referring to his father that way; he hadn't taken it from Eugene Princeton, and he certainly wouldn't take it from Eggman.

The mad scientist did not flinch. He merely laughed at the sight of the angry hedgehog pushing against the steel net of the prison, and wagged a finger at him mockingly.

"No, no, Miles", he said gleefully. "You can't escape my genius design. These cages of mine cannot be broken; they're made with reinforced steel and bulletproof glass. Nothing can rupture them, especially not a small, adolescent, wannabe hedgehog."

Miles felt his blood rushing into his face, but before he could retaliate against Eggman's insult, Maria placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke up in a shaky voice.

"Why did you kidnap us? What are you gonna do to us?"

Eggman turned his attention from the lavender hedgehog to the light gray one, interested in what she had just asked.

"Excellent questions, Maria. In order to answer them, though, I'll have to go back to the beginning. I recommend you each take a seat; this story could take a while to tell."

Miles and Maria glanced curiously at each other, then, deciding they didn't have much choice but to listen, they retreated to the corner of the cage they had been occupying earlier and sat down. Eggman walked over to a control board in the room, which was positioned a few feet away in front of several large screens, and took a seat at the chair beside it. He then leaned back and began to tell his tale.

"It started about twenty years ago, when that wretched Sonic defeated me for the last time. He completely destroyed everything in my space station base, including the brilliant machine I had designed to take over the world. He then rescued his friends from my base, and left me there to perish in the explosion that followed. Of course, after that, everyone presumed I was dead.

"But as it turned out, I had not died. I had suffered some severe injuries from the explosion, and it caused me to fall into a coma for ten years. Ten long years... that cursed Sonic...

"Well, a decade after the incident, I awoke to find myself in the medical facility at G.U.N. I later learned that they had found me in the remains of the space station, and had been keeping me in their base for observation over ten years.

"Needless to say, I escaped from the base and vanished. I eluded the G.U.N. units with the help of my dear genius nephew, Igor Robotnik, who would come to visit me often and was there the day I awoke from my coma. Someday, after my Egg Empire has been established and I'm long gone, Igor will rule the world in my place. But anyway... after successfully escaping the medical facility, I set up a new space station base, shielded from the government's eyes, and here I hid for another decade.

"I knew G.U.N. was still on my trail over the next ten years. One particular nuisance was an old acquaintance of mine: Shadow the Hedgehog. Of all the G.U.N. agents working on the mission of finding me, Shadow was probably the one who came closest to accomplishing the task. But the hedgehog eventually resigned from the case; evidently, he had more important issues to worry about in his life."

The mad scientist stared meaningfully for a few seconds at Maria, whose face turned bright red under his gaze. Eggman then laughed and continued:

"I never would have thought Shadow was so soft on the inside. But it didn't matter; I had other concerns of my own, such as plotting my revenge on my enemies. To successfully achieve my goal of effectively ruining their lives, however, I needed two things: plenty of background information on my rivals, and at least one Chaos Emerald.

"As soon as I was back amongst my contraptions where I belonged, I began seeking out information on my archenemy: Sonic the Hedgehog. Well, imagine my surprise when I discovered that he was married, had two children, and had retired from his days as a hero! It was a more perfect case than I could ever have hoped for; I had finally found a suitable weakness in Sonic that I could use against him.

"But to put my plan into action, I still needed a Chaos Emerald. Try as I might, I could not find any of the seven precious gemstones anywhere. They had disappeared after my last plan had failed, and not even G.U.N. seemed to know where they were. All I could do was continue to follow the lives of my rivals and their families, hoping that the day would come when I could return to terrorize them. For ten years, I sent micro probes across the world in search of the Emeralds, and after ten years of seeking them out, my efforts proved fruitless.

"Until, that is, a week and a day ago, when my sensors suddenly picked up a very interesting hotspot of Chaos energy somewhere in Green Hill. Examining the pinpoint on my map closely, I discovered it was an energy beam, caused by a reaction between _two_ Chaos Emeralds. That was quite a shock in itself, but the biggest surprise of all was the fact that the beam was coming from nowhere other than Sonic's house!

"So indeed, I must thank you, young Miles Hedgehog. Had it not been for your grave mishap, I could never have begun to put my ultimate plan into action."

Miles and Maria stared horrified at Eggman, who was laughing maniacally now that his story was finished. The lavender hedgehog felt an enormous knot of guilt begin to tie itself around his insides; this was all his fault. All his family and friends were about to suffer for his mistake, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

The mad scientist turned to his left and pressed a button on the control board. A miniature glass case began to rise out of the panel just above the button, and within it was the blue Chaos Emerald Eggman's robot had stolen from Miles the day before. Once it had risen completely, Eggman opened the case, reached inside, and extracted the gemstone, grinning more broadly than ever. He then pulled a switch on the panel that caused a large board to emerge in front of the main screen. The board had seven empty slots shaped to accommodate the seven Chaos Emeralds, and inside one of them, the scientist inserted the blue one in his hand.

After Eggman had tampered with a few more controls on the panel, the main screen before him began to light up, and within a minute, a large map of the world appeared on it. Five red spots were blinking on the screen, all of them positioned in Green Hill. The scientist let out a shout of triumph.

"I should have known my enemies would be foolish enough to keep the Emeralds close together. This just makes everything so much easier."

Eggman laughed as he zoomed in on the Green Hill portion of the map. The teenage hedgehogs in the cage behind him simply stared at the screen in horror, recognizing each red spot as a location familiar to them: Sonic's and Amy's house, Tails's workshop, Knuckles's and Tikal's house, Cream's and David's house, and the Chaos Temple in Angel Island. Knowing that the red spots indicated the locations of the other Emeralds, Maria soon realized that her house was missing from the map, though she knew better than to mention this fact out loud. For now, Eggman would simply think that one of the red spots on the map indicated the location of two Emeralds at once, unaware that, in truth, the last of the gemstones was being kept in a special chest that shielded its energy from the world.

The scientist frantically typed out a program on a keyboard in front of him, and after sending it through his computer network, he stood up and walked over to a large mechanical door on the other side of the room. The door opened a minute later of its own accord, and five robots filed slowly into the room, each of them exactly like the one that had captured the teenagers now in the cage.

Miles and Maria watched in fear as Eggman instructed the mechas to seek out the Emeralds pinpointed on the map. Each robot was issued a different mission, one for each red spot on the screen. When the machines had received all the instructions, they filed out another door on the opposite end of the room, ready to fulfill the job they had been given. There was more to the missions then the hedgehogs in the cage heard, but they would soon discover what the extra instructions were.

After the last mecha had disappeared out the door, the scientist turned his attention back to his captives. He grinned menacingly at the pair of them, and spoke to them again in his evil tone.

"Now, children, if you'll excuse me, I have a job of my own to take on. I'll be back soon."

Having delivered his parting line, Eggman disappeared out the same doorway through which his robot cohorts had exited, leaving Miles and Maria alone in the chamber to dwell on their newfound terror together.

---

Back in Green Hill, Sonic was gathering all his friends together to ask them a favor. Almost every one of the blue hedgehog's closest acquaintances joined him outside his house, with the exception of Knuckles, who was still in Angel Island, and Shadow and Crystal, who for some reason were not home when Sonic passed by their house.

The blue hedgehog looked around at his friends, then cleared his throat and addressed them all:

"Guys, I don't know quite how to say this... but Miles is missing. He didn't come home this morning after being out all night, and now I can't find him anywhere. Please, Amy and I are extremely worried, and we'd really appreciate all your help trying to find our son."

The friends all agreed to help Sonic and Amy find Miles. It was decided that the kids would stay home in safety, while the adults searched across Green Hill for the missing hedgehog. Just as the friends were about to set off, however, a shout from far away caught everyone's attention, causing them to turn towards the source of the noise.

"SONIC!"

The speaker rushed into the scene at high speed, and slammed head on into the blue hedgehog. Sonic was propelled a considerable distance across the ground, and once he had recovered his senses, he looked up to see Shadow staring down at him, fury in his eyes.

The blue hedgehog was on his feet in a flash, instinct taking him over as he prepared to fight back. Before the two hedgehogs could engage in an argument, though, Amy stepped between them and held her arms out to stop them. A moment later, Crystal ran into the scene, and grabbed her husband's arm to hold him back.

"Shadow?" Sonic said, taking his own wife's hint and calming himself. "What's going on?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Sonic!" the black hedgehog yelled back, still consumed by rage. "Where is she?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Yesterday, my daughter ran out of the house in tears, after we had a fight. She hasn't been home since, and Crystal and I can't find her anywhere. I can only presume she came looking for _your_ son. So tell me, Sonic: where is Maria?"

At these words, the blue hedgehog's eyes widened. After hesitating for a moment, he replied nervously:

"Shadow... I stopped by your house earlier today, looking for Miles. I thought he was with _you_."

The black hedgehog's eyes suddenly widened, the fury leaving his face to make way for fear. As Sonic and Shadow stared quietly at each other, the realization of the danger of their situation sank in. After a minute of silence, the blue hedgehog turned back to his friends and announced that they were now faced with an emergency case. Wherever Miles and Maria were, they were sure to be together, and most likely in trouble.

The adults nodded to acknowledge the hedgehog's words, then hurried back to their houses to leave their offspring at home before heading off to search for the missing teenagers. As his friends dispersed, Sonic placed a hand sympathetically on Shadow's shoulder, and assured him that they would do everything they could to find his daughter.

"We will find Maria", the blue hedgehog told his friend. "I promise."

The black hedgehog nodded in gratitude, and with that, Sonic and Shadow set off across Green Hill with their wives to find their missing kids.


	14. The Master Emerald

Chapter 14 - The Master Emerald

Knuckles walked casually through the forest of Angel Island, still unaware that Miles and Maria were missing. He was making his way calmly down the path to visit the Chaos Temple, when suddenly, he felt an odd sensation run through him. The echidna recognized this feeling as his own flawless intuition; it was an indication that the Master Emerald, which he had sworn his life to guard, was in need of his protection. Following his instinct, Knuckles sprinted the rest of the way to the temple, feeling more anxious than he could remember feeling in a very long time.

When he reached the temple, the echidna bolted up the flight of stone steps into the main room. He then raced down the hall towards the innermost chamber, where the Master Emerald had been kept for the past twenty years. If his instinct was too be trusted, Knuckles would encounter another person already in the chamber, most likely someone who was interested in stealing the great gemstone.

As it turned out, the red echidna's instinct was right; upon reaching the end of the hall and running into the room, he discovered that somebody had, in fact, arrived there before him. The mystery visitor was wearing a black ninja's outfit and mask, and they were gazing up at the enormous green Emerald in the center of the chamber. Because the person was standing with their back turned to the only entrance into the room, they did not notice when Knuckles snuck up behind them to take them by surprise.

The retired Master Emerald guardian crept up to just behind his target, and once he was in place, he wrapped one arm around the person's neck and placed his other hand over their mouth. The ninja screamed, though the sound was muffled by Knuckles's hand. A few seconds later, the mystery visitor rammed an elbow into the echidna's stomach, causing him to yell out and release his victim. As soon as they were free, the ninja grabbed their attacker's arms, whirled their opponent around while turning with him, and kicked him in the back to hit the floor facedown.

Knuckles staggered a bit from the counterattack, but managed to recover his senses just in time to flip around and block the ninja's incoming kick. The echidna then leapt to his feet while swiping wildly with his left fist, and consequently snagged his opponent's mask as they stumbled backwards, thus pulling it off their head. The next thing he knew, Knuckles was staring bewildered at the unmasked face of his old rival: Rouge the Bat.

Rouge stood rooted to the spot as she suddenly realized who her attacker was. The two old rivals stared wide-eyed at one another for a minute, neither of them saying a word, until finally Knuckles managed to find his voice.

"Rouge?! What are you doing here?"

"Geez, Knuckles!" the bat replied, also recovering from her own shock. "You scared the heck out of me! Can't a woman go anywhere without having men jump on her or interrogate her?"

Knuckles ignored the comment, choosing instead to remain on the subject of his primary concern.

"Are you here to steal the Master Emerald? Because if you are, I can assure you that I _will_ put up a fight. You didn't get away with taking the Emerald last time, Rouge, and you won't get away with it this time."

"Oh, don't be so thick, Knuckles! I'm not here to steal your stupid Master Emerald; I'm here to protect it!"

At these words, the echidna's eyes widened in greater shock, and he hesitated before replying:

"'Protect it'? From what?"

Instead of answering immediately, however, the bat decided to have some fun by teasing her old rival.

"I could ask you the same thing. What is it you used to do all day, anyway, Knuckles? Just sit around and wait for some overconfident common thief to come along and try to touch the big gemstone?"

Knuckles did not like being taunted about his life's work, and Rouge knew it. In fact, that was precisely why she used to make a habit of teasing him; the bat enjoyed provoking the people around her, and as her echidna rival was extremely short-tempered, he was the easiest target she had ever encountered in her life.

"There's more to guarding the Master Emerald than 'just sitting around'", the red echidna replied furiously. "It requires patience, discipline and dedication."

"Which is exactly why you and I would never have worked out", the white bat continued in her annoyingly casual tone, smiling slyly. "I just didn't have the patience, discipline or dedication to stick around with you."

She had touched a nerve. Knuckles felt his blood running into his face as he began to yell at his rival.

"What are you talking about? You and I were never a couple, and we never would be anyway! I don't like you!"

"Who says you have to _like_ someone to have a relationship with them? Oh, come on, Knuckles, don't act like you've never thought about 'you and me'. Face it: the real reason you and I didn't work out was because the Master Emerald was always more important to you."

"Well, I had to guard it! That was my job, my purpose in life!"

"Which, apparently, an old stone chamber in an abandoned temple can do just as well as you ever did."

Knuckles whirled around and flailed his fist at Rouge, who had been stepping casually around behind him. The bat, however, saw the attack coming, and ducked just in time to avoid being punched in the face. She laughed as her rival recovered from missing his target and tried to calm himself.

"Things are different now", Knuckles explained in as cool a tone as he could manage. "When the Chaos Emeralds served a purpose, the Master Emerald needed to be guarded out in the open, by one of the original bloodline of guardians from the ancient echidna tribe. That was me, and if the Emeralds were to ever serve a purpose again, in the future it would be my son."

"But..." Rouge finished for her rival, "since the Chaos Emeralds mysteriously _vanished_ twenty years ago, you brought the supposedly useless Master Emerald into the temple, so it would be safe and you could go on to live a happy life of your own."

Knuckles glanced awkwardly at the bat for a moment, then nodded. The mention of the mysterious disappearance of the Chaos Emeralds made him slightly nervous, so he decided to change the subject.

"You still haven't answered my question. What are you protecting the Master Emerald from?"

Rouge rolled her eyes and sighed, realizing with a rush of disappointment that her fun, for the most part, was over.

"I don't know exactly; G.U.N. sent me here. I still work for them as a reconnaissance agent, and last week they sent me a message saying they had picked up on some strange activity going on in Green Hill and they wanted me to check it out. The message suggested to me that the 'strange activity' had something to do with Chaos energy, but I wasn't given all the details. All I knew was that G.U.N. had reason to believe the Master Emerald would be targeted by an unidentified threat, and my mission was to stop such a threat from taking the gemstone. So here I am, doing your job."

The echidna clenched his fist angrily, but avoided trying to punch the bat again in order to keep from embarrassing himself. Noticing the gesture, Rouge simply shrugged and continued to speak casually.

"You know, Knuckles, for what it's worth, I'm sure your son would have made a great Master Emerald guardian. Of course, if we all got what we wanted in life, my daughter would be a successful jewel thief like her mother, instead of just Captain of the school's cheerleading squad. I guess some things just aren't meant to be."

Knuckles nodded, but didn't say anything else. He would have loved to see Rex taking on the respectful job he himself had fulfilled for so many years; it would have filled him with pride not only as a father, but as a mentor. However, with the Chaos Emeralds still being hidden from the world, it didn't seem likely that that time would ever come. The situation had changed, and the Master Emerald no longer required guarding... or so the echidna believed.

As it turned out, Knuckles was completely wrong. A great bang suddenly echoed throughout the chamber, shaking the temple floor and knocking the two rivals to the ground. Stones pieces scattered across the floor, and the next thing they knew, the echidna and the bat were looking up at a huge gaping hole in the temple ceiling, positioned directly above the Master Emerald. In the middle of the hole, silhouetted against the great blue sky, a machine of some sort was hovering menacingly.

Knuckles and Rouge leapt to their feet as the hovercraft descended into the temple chamber. When the machine had moved completely into the shade of what was left of the ceiling, the two rivals realized, with a rush of horror, that the person occupying its only seat was none other than the evil Dr. Eggman himself. Eggman stopped his hovercraft just over the Master Emerald, and he laughed when he noticed the people in the room staring back at him.

"Hello, Knuckles!" he called gleefully. "Hello, Rouge! Long time, no see!"

Too stunned to speak, the echidna and the bat could do nothing more than stare incredulously at the mad scientist they had both thought to be dead for twenty years. Taking advantage of their paralyzing shock, Eggman pressed a button on the control board of his hovercraft, and a second later, a large rope net shot out from the bottom of the semi-spherical machine. The net landed on top of the Master Emerald, ensnaring the gemstone completely and connecting it to the hovercraft via a long steel cable attached to the rope.

"Well", the scientist laughed, "now that I have what I came for, I'll just be on my way."

But he would not get away with his crime so easily. Suddenly realizing that the Master Emerald was being stolen, Knuckles and Rouge quickly recovered their wits and rushed towards the great gemstone now being lifted out of its place. Upon reaching the Emerald, the echidna and the bat leapt over the gem and made for the cable pulling it up, with the intention of breaking the cord. Eggman, however, foresaw the attack, and was prepared for it.

Laser blasts suddenly shot forth from the hovercraft, directed at the two people trying to protect the Master Emerald. The blasts caused the echidna and the bat to fall back, and prevented them from reaching the cable. The temporary partners, unwilling to give up without a fight, rapidly changed their tactic, jumping up again and targeting the machine hovering low above their heads.

Knuckles swiped at the machine with his fists, while Rouge kicked at it from the other side. The scientist's hovercraft shook violently under the combined force, but remained in the air nonetheless. Unperturbed, Eggman used a few close-range electric sparks from the machine to quickly dispatch his attackers, causing them to scream and fall back to the ground in pain. The villain laughed maniacally at the sight of their figures lying trembling on the temple floor.

"Now that that's settled", he called out casually, "I'll be going now. See you later!"

As the hovercraft began to ascend out of the gaping hole in the ceiling, the echidna and the bat sprang to their feet once again, watching helplessly as the Master Emerald was lifted up behind the machine. Before the hovercraft disappeared, however, Rouge noticed the hook connecting the steel cable to the contraption, and the sight of its simple design sparked an idea in her.

"Knuckles!" she yelled suddenly, turning to her partner. "Throw me towards the hovercraft!"

Unsure of her plan but unwilling to question her in this case of urgency, Knuckles did as he was told, lifting the bat into his arms and throwing her headfirst as hard as he could towards the escaping machine. Rouge flew through the air at high speed, and just before impact with the hovercraft, she flipped around and extended her leg towards the hook on its underside. The bat's boot connected with the cable, pushing it forward and successfully knocking it off the hook.

The ensnared Master Emerald began to fall towards the temple floor, but fortunately, Knuckles ran forward and caught it just before it hit the ground. Rouge glided gently to the stone floor as her echidna partner replaced the great gemstone in its original position and pulled off the rope net around it, and the two of them looked up just in time to see the hovercraft and its passenger flying away, shouts of anger and frustration reaching their ears.

Knuckles and Rouge raced down the stone hallway towards the entrance to the temple, questions racing through both their minds as they ran. How could Eggman still be alive? Where had he been all those years he was thought to be dead? And what exactly did he want with the Master Emerald? When they reached the main chamber of the Chaos Temple, the echidna and the bat stopped and looked out of the entrance to watch the notorious villain escaping.

"You may still have the Master Emerald, Knuckles", Eggman yelled out as he flew away in his machine, "but I've got something else of yours. Something far more valuable, at least to you."

And with that, the evil scientist picked up speed and vanished into the clouds above.

"Something more valuable than the Master Emerald?" said Rouge curiously. "What is he talking about?"

Knuckles was wondering the exact same thing, though he didn't say a word. Instead, he simply pondered Eggman's statement. Something more valuable to him than the Master Emerald? What could that be?

Throughout his entire adolescence, the most important thing in Knuckles's life had been the great Master Emerald. He had sworn his very life to protect it. But now things had changed. He had matured greatly since that time, and he had new priorities in life. There were now two things more important to Knuckles than the Master Emerald. One of them was Tikal, the other was...

It hit Knuckles like a blow to the head. A horrible chill ran through him, and his eyes widened in fear and alarm. Without saying a word, the echidna bolted out of the temple entrance, down the long flight of stones steps, and off toward the horizon. His former bat rival appeared in the entrance to the temple and yelled after him:

"Hey! Where are you going?"

But there was no time to stop and explain to Rouge; Knuckles had to get back to his house as fast as possible. If Eggman's statement was to be trusted, then the red echidna had just committed the worst mistake of his life: leaving his family alone without his protection.


	15. Taken

Chapter 15 - Taken

Knuckles raced across Green Hill as fast as his feet would carry him. He had never felt so terrified in his life. His heart drummed rapidly against his ribs, and Eggman's threatening words rang in the echidna's ears as he hurried home:

"I've got something else of yours. Something far more valuable, at least to you."

"No, he couldn't have..." Knuckles thought desperately through his rapid breathing, hoping against hope that his assumption regarding the mad scientist's words was wrong.

But the echidna's hopes were not high as he reached his house. There was an awful sensation of negative energy in the atmosphere, which only seemed to intensify as he bolted through the open doorway and up the flight of stairs to the second floor.

Upon passing the last step of the staircase, Knuckles's worst fear was confirmed, for he heard a heartbreaking noise coming from the shrine room in the middle of the hallway. Rushing to the open door, the echidna placed both his hands on either side of the doorway and nervously peered through it.

The entire room was a mess. Tables were overturned, pictures had been tossed from the walls, and ancient relics of the Echidna family's ancestors were strewn haphazardly about the floor, many of them smashed to pieces. A struggle had obviously taken place here. Looking around, Knuckles soon discovered the source of the terrible noise: kneeling in the center of the room before the destroyed figure of a shrine, sobbing hysterically into her hands, was Tikal.

The red echidna rushed forward and quickly knelt to wrap his arms around his wife, suddenly feeling as though a knife had pierced his heart.

"Tikal!" Knuckles cried as his wife looked up to face him, startled. "What happened here?"

"Oh, Knuckles!" Tikal sobbed, throwing her arms around her husband. "It's awful! The others and I... we were helping Sonic and Shadow look for Miles and Maria, who have gone missing... But then, there was this big flash, and I saw it was coming from our house, so I ran home, and..."

The echidna released her husband and pointed to the broken shrine. Examining it closely, Knuckles realized that something was missing from it: the red Chaos Emerald that had been concealed there for nearly two decades. Before he could say anything, however, Tikal spoke again, and soon revealed that, although she was crying because something had been taken away from her, that "something" was not the Emerald.

"Knuckles", she cried in despair, "Rex is gone! He's taken our son!"

The echidna lifted her right hand, and for the first time since he had arrived home, her husband saw she was holding an item in it: a piece of red cloth with black print on it. Knuckles took the object, and upon closer inspection of the black print, he felt a chill run down his spine. The symbol printed on the cloth was enough to explain everything.

It was the worst moment of Knuckles's life. As the echidna embraced his wife once more, he grasped the cloth tightly in his fist, and silently swore that he would do everything in his power to retrieve his son. But as Knuckles and Tikal would soon discover, Rex Echidna was not the first victim of the kidnapping spree, and he wouldn't be the last.

---

Back in the aircraft workshop, Sonia Prower was busy searching through her father's designs for something she could use to help search for her lost cousin and friend. Her brother, Aaron, had followed her to the garage from their house not far away, a case containing his acoustic guitar strapped over his shoulder.

"But, Sonia..." the 11-year-old boy was saying to his sister. "Mom and Dad told us to stay home!"

"I know, Aaron", Sonia replied calmly, "but I can't just sit around at home while Miles and Maria are missing! They could be in trouble! I have to help Dad find them."

"But Dad and Uncle Sonic already took one of the planes. And you're not allowed to fly a plane by yourself!"

"Dad will forgive me for breaking the rules if I can find my cousin and my friend. Now go back to the house, Aaron. Practice your guitar chords, like you were going to before chasing me here. Like you said, Mom and Dad told us to stay home."

The preteen fox crossed his arms and gave his sister the same stern look he had seen his father give her many times before.

"I'm not going home without you. You don't even know how to fly the new planes!"

"Who says I'm taking one of the _new_ planes?" Sonia responded, winking at her brother and smiling mischievously.

The teenage fox picked up the blueprint she had just found in her father's archives and showed it to Aaron. It was a design of Tails's very first airplane, which was also the plane he had used to teach his daughter how to fly: the Tornado. Sonia then rolled up the sheet and stepped out of the room, followed out by her little brother.

As the fox siblings entered the main garage, however, they suddenly heard a loud thud echo through the workshop. Startled, Sonia and Aaron searched around wildly for the source of the noise. Within a minute, it revealed itself; a large robot stepped out of the shadows and stood between the Prowers and the exit from the garage. Fortunately, in its haste to search the workshop for some unknown item, the mecha had not noticed the foxes standing by the wall, and being as quick-witted as her dad, Sonia was determined to keep it that way.

Before he could scream in terror, the teenager placed a hand over her little brother's mouth, then grabbed him by the arm and pulled him quietly behind her into the nearest room, which was the workshop's storage room. There the foxes remained for several minutes, Aaron cowering in his big sister's warm embrace.

"What is that thing, Sonia?" the boy whispered, frightened. In the dim light, he saw Sonia place a finger over her mouth, then shake her head. She didn't know any more than he did what that machine was or what it was doing in their father's workshop.

The siblings' doubt was cleared up sooner than they expected, and in the worst way possible. After searching the entire garage, the robot found its way into the storage room to seek out the item it was after. Inside the room, the mecha found all of the things it had been sent to take, which unfortunately included the two foxes cowering in terror before it.

Before they had any time to react, the machine captured both Sonia and Aaron in the same way Miles and Maria had been captured: snatching them up and tossing them into its glass case. It then began searching for the item it was after, and the brother and sister inside its glass case could only watch helplessly as the robot opened a large box in the back of the room, extracted a yellow Chaos Emerald from within it, and stashed the gemstone in some hidden compartment elsewhere on its figure.

Its mission complete, the machine left the workshop, draped a red cloth on the garage door, and, with a great flash of its thrusters, propelled itself upward and returned to Eggman's base. The Prower siblings wondered the whole way there what was going to happen to them, and if anyone else, like them, had been taken.

---

Somewhere else in Green Hill, Cream and David had seen a flash similar to the one Tikal had noticed, and were now hurrying to their own house. Concerned for the safety of her children, Cream had insisted that she and her husband check on the four-year-old triplets. Unwilling to argue with a nurturing mother of three, David had agreed to his wife's proposal, and the two of them retraced their path back to their home.

As the Rabbits approached the house, however, their mild concern quickly changed to terrible fear. Cream's eyes widened as she noticed a familiar person standing just outside the open front door: her mother, Vanilla the Rabbit. Vanilla had been helping Cheese babysit the triplets while Cream and David were out, and the fact that she was currently standing outside of the house waiting for them was a very bad sign.

"Mama!" Cream exclaimed as she rushed forth to meet her daughters' grandmother. "What's going on?"

Upon reaching her mother, the light brown rabbit noticed that she was crying. Another bad sign.

"Cream, darling..." Vanilla began, stifling her sobs, "I'm so sorry! It came so quickly... I didn't know what to do... I couldn't stop it..."

David now approached his mother-in-law, and, noticing the look of horror on his wife's face, the brown rabbit inquired:

"What happened here?"

Unable to explain the situation any further, Vanilla simply lifted up the red cloth she was holding in her left hand, sobbing hysterically. David took the cloth and examined it, while Cream rushed past her mother into the house. The light brown rabbit hurried upstairs to the second floor, and headed directly to her children's room.

The very first clue Cream noticed regarding the horrible episode that had taken place in the house was the set of three overturned beds in her daughters' bedroom. Looking around, the rabbit realized with a rush of terror that Amber, Ruby and Emerald were missing, as was her beloved Chao.

As tears began to well up in Cream's brown eyes, another sight down the hall caught her attention. Looking to her right through the open doorway at the end of the hall, the rabbit noticed a mess of toy Chao scattered across the floor of the master bedroom: her Chao doll collection. Cream suddenly remembered that she had stashed something of great value among that collection, and she immediately hurried over to the mess of dolls in her bedroom.

A minute later, the light brown rabbit made her way back downstairs, a torn Angel Chaos Chao doll in her hands. She rushed out the door to join her husband and mother again, and held out the broken toy to them.

"The Chaos Emerald is gone!" she exclaimed. "Whoever took the triplets and Cheese must have taken the Emerald as well!"

David glanced nervously at Vanilla, then turned back to Cream with sadness in his amber eyes. Because his mother-in-law was too distraught to speak anymore, the brown rabbit proceeded to explain the situation to his wife.

"Cream, honey..." he said cautiously, "your mother just told me what happened. She says the kidnapper was some kind of machine. It broke into the house and immediately made its way upstairs, to the girls' room. She tried to stand in the way, but the robot knocked her roughly aside and she blacked out. When she woke up... the girls were gone, and so was Cheese."

Cream stared wide-eyed at her husband, tears streaming rapidly down her cheeks.

"Our girls were kidnapped?" she breathed in disbelief. "But... who could have done this?"

David took this moment to hold the red cloth in his hand out to his wife.

"This is our only clue. I think it's pretty clear who did this."

Cream took the red cloth from the brown rabbit and examined it. At the sight of the black symbol printed on the cloth, the light brown rabbit gasped and placed a hand over her mouth. She then threw her arms around her husband and began to sob hysterically. Her children and her Chao had been taken away from her, and the knowledge that they were all at the mercy of an evil villain was too devastating for her to bear.

---

Sonic and Tails were flying above Green Hill in the fox's newest aircraft, scanning the town for signs of Miles and Maria, when a strange flash in the distance suddenly caught their eye. Turning towards the source of the light, the two brothers noticed a strange trajectory leading up from the hedgehog's house to the sky overhead. Suddenly feeling a horrible chill run through him, Sonic turned back to Tails and requested he make a course for the house in the distance.

The two-tailed fox nodded, and turned the plane around to fly back towards his big brother's home. Upon landing close by a few minutes later, Sonic jumped out of the grounded aircraft to find Amy already approaching at a run; apparently she too had seen the flash. The Hedgehogs ran across the grass and down the street together, and when they rushed up the front path of the house, they discovered, to their horror, that the front door was wide open.

Sonic and Amy hurried into the house, and immediately noticed that it was a mess. Tables and chairs were overturned everywhere, and pictures had been knocked off the walls. The blue hedgehog raced up the stairs, while the pink one searched around, calling out their daughter's name.

"Lily! Lily, where are you?"

But Lily was nowhere to be found. Like her friends just before her, the lilac hedgehog had mysteriously vanished, and there was only one direct clue in the house to indicate her whereabouts, though her parents had yet to find it. Amy began to tear up as she realized there would be no answer to her frantic calling. Meanwhile, her husband was standing in the master bedroom, staring stunned over the mess of objects on the floor at the open closet.

A minute later, Sonic ran down the stairs and into the main hall, where his wife and brother were standing waiting for him. The blue hedgehog saw that Amy was crying and holding a red cloth in one hand, while Tails was staring back at him with a worried look on his face.

"Sonic..." said the fox uneasily, "I... I have to go. I think, maybe..."

Understanding that his little brother couldn't finish the sentence, Sonic nodded and dismissed the fox. Once Tails had disappeared out the front door, the blue hedgehog turned to his wife and spoke to her nervously.

"Amy", he began, trying to keep his voice calm despite the circumstances, "the Chaos Emeralds are gone. Both of them. And I can't find Lily anywhere. I think... she must have been..."

"Kidnapped!" Amy finished for him in a shout. "Our children were kidnapped, Sonic!"

The pink hedgehog continued to cry in front of the blue one, neither of them saying anything. Sonic would not admit it just yet, but his wife had spoken the exact word he was thinking.

"I found this in our room", he said a moment later, and held out his right hand to show Amy the item. In the blue hedgehog's open palm, a broken charm bracelet was gently curled. The pink hedgehog stared at it in silence, understanding, just as her husband did, the significance of the seemingly mundane object.

The fact that the house was a mess indicated that a struggle had occurred there earlier. As for the charm bracelet, it was Lily's favorite piece of jewelry, for it was a symbol of her everlasting friendship with Sonia. The teenage fox had one exactly like it, and neither girl ever removed theirs from their wrist. Therefore, the broken bracelet still in the master bedroom was a sign that Lily had taken the Chaos Emerald first, and had tried to withhold it from her kidnapper, a plan which had obviously failed.

Amy looked up at Sonic, and, stifling a sob, she slowly lifted the item in her hand and spoke again.

"Sonic, Tails found this hanging on the doorknob; we didn't see it on our way in. He handed it to me, and at first I didn't believe it. It's... it's just awful!"

Sonic took the red cloth from his wife's hand as she sobbed harder than ever. Opening the cloth completely in his hands, the blue hedgehog caught sight of the black symbol that he hadn't seen in over two decades. His eyes widened in sudden fear, and he looked up to face Amy once more.

"But... how is this possible?"

The pink hedgehog shook her head, then embraced her husband and began to cry desperately into his shoulder. Sonic held his wife tight, his fear suddenly being replaced by rage as he looked down at the cloth still clenched in his fist, which bore the same symbol as all the other red cloths discovered by his friends.

Facing back up at the hedgehog, an evil grin on its black design, was the shape of a round mustached face: the symbol of Sonic's archenemy and his children's kidnapper, Dr. Eggman. As of that moment, the situation was no longer just a search-and-rescue: it was war.


	16. Cold Threats

Chapter 16 - Cold Threats

Miles and Maria sat together in the far corner of their prison, thoughts racing wildly through their minds. They were still in the dark about Eggman's plan, but they were sure that whatever tricks he had up his sleeve would bring devastation to all their friends and family. Before the hedgehogs could begin to wonder when they would be forced to meet their fate, though, one of the entrance doors in the chamber opened, and the five robots they had seen leaving an hour ago filed back into the room.

The teenagers in the cage stood up to get a better view of the mechas. With a rush of horror, they both noticed that four of the machines were holding their closest friends captive. As Miles and Maria stared helplessly through the steel net at their fellow prisoners, Eggman stepped into the room from the same entrance his robots had walked through. The scientist approached the five machines, and instructed them to place the young captives into the cage with the hedgehogs.

The mechas obeyed the orders they were given, lining up at the cage door to toss the prisoners in. The first to join Miles and Maria was Lily, who was roughly pushed through the door into the prison. After her came Sonia and Aaron, then Rex, and finally Amber, Ruby, Emerald and Cheese. Once the last prisoner had entered the cage, Eggman shut the door and locked its electronic combination lock. He then inspected the lineup of machines that had fulfilled the kidnapping missions for him, grinning broadly as the young captives watched him, frightened.

The mad scientist paused in front of the robot that had captured Rex, noticing the many dents and broken pieces in the machine. Eggman turned around to face the teenage echidna in the cage, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It seems you put up quite a fight, young Echidna", he said tauntingly. "Your father would be very impressed... until he realized your failure. Perhaps you're not as strong as he would have hoped."

Rex rushed forth and slammed into the cage wall in the same manner Miles had earlier, scowling at the villain. Eggman laughed at the outburst, then stepped over to the cage and eyed the teenage vixen who was now trying to pull her friend back.

"Miss Prower", the scientist continued in his mocking tone. "I trust you're just as smart as _your_ father too. That blueprint in your hand won't do you much good here, though. No toys in that cage to tinker with, I'm afraid, and certainly nothing to fly."

Sonia glared at Eggman as she led Rex away from the wall towards the rest of their group. The next words she heard, however, almost caused her to rush towards the wall herself, in an outburst similar to the echidna's.

"From the looks of that guitar case on his back, it doesn't seem like your baby brother inherited your father's intelligence. Music? What a waste of time! He must take after your dim-witted mother."

The next thing everyone knew, Sonia was squirming in her best friend's grasp, trying to reach the scientist who had insulted both Aaron and Roxie. Lily was fighting hard to keep the fox from doing anything foolish, and the sight of the two girls struggling only made Eggman laugh even harder.

"Ah, Miss Hedgehog!" he teased, turning his attention now to the lilac hedgehog. "So like your mother: always meddling in other people's business. The only thing missing is that odd little hammer; with that, you'd be the spitting image of her!"

Like her friends, Lily took offense from the scientist's snide remarks. Unlike her friends, however, she knew how to keep her cool, and simply focused on her current task, which was to restrain Sonia. While the lilac hedgehog pulled the two-tailed fox back, Eggman continued to observe his collection of prisoners, eventually stopping his gaze on the rabbit triplets and the Chao.

"Little baby rabbits", he said gleefully. "They look just like their mother, as I remember her: tiny and weak."

As Amber, Ruby and Emerald cowered before the villain, Cheese floated between the triplets and Eggman, determined to protect the girls at all costs. The scientist raised an eyebrow at the Chao frowning back at him.

"Three babies and their pet", he muttered. "How inconvenient. Oh well; if any of you become a nuisance, I'll know just how to deal with you."

Eggman stepped further along the outside of the cage wall, and finally looked directly at the one prisoner he hadn't insulted yet. The scientist eyed Shadow's daughter carefully, but to everyone's surprise, his expression softened, and he simply muttered:

"Maria."

Maria stared back at her kidnapper in fear, but he didn't say anything else. Instead, Eggman turned around and walked back to the control board a short distance away, taking a seat at the chair and swiveling it to face the screens. He then began to type commands into the keyboard in front of him, and as the screens began to light up, the scientist addressed his prisoners again in his original taunting voice.

"Now, fear not, children! I understand the rules: the prisoners are allowed one phone call, which in most cases is made to home. Since I can't trust any of you with my brilliant inventions, however, _I_ will be making the call for you."

Turning from his screens to face the young captives in the cage behind him, Eggman added with a rotten sneer:

"Let's see how Mommy and Daddy are doing, shall we?"

And with that, he laughed, turned back to the control panel, and pressed a last button on his keyboard.

---

Back in Green Hill, inside Sonic's house, a loud beeping noise suddenly began to sound out from the living room. The noise caught the attention of the two hedgehogs still embracing one another in the main hall, causing them to release each other and turn to look into the next room. Sonic and Amy each glanced nervously at their spouse, then stepped slowly into the living room towards the strange sound.

When they were inside the room, the Hedgehogs immediately discovered the source of the beeping noise. Placed among the mess of torn cushions and overturned furniture, a large television monitor with a camera positioned over it stood out, emitting the noise through its speakers. Eggman's symbol was visible on the screen, but as Sonic slowly approached the monitor, the picture gradually faded out to be replaced by a face hidden in shadows.

"Hello, Sonic", said the horribly familiar voice to the blue hedgehog now crouching before the low screen. Amy stood back and watched in fear as Sonic muttered back in rage:

"You."

"Yes, Sonic", the voice continued in a menacing tone. "Me."

The face moved forward towards its camera, and for the first time in twenty years, the blue hedgehog found himself looking into the goggled eyes of his archenemy, Dr. Eggman. He was not exactly as Sonic remembered him, though; the scientist had noticeably aged two decades, and his face was covered in unsightly burns and scars: the marks of his last failed attempt to take over the world. At the sight of the evil villain's changed face, Amy gasped in horror, and her husband's eyes widened in disbelief as he whispered:

"But... it's not possible..."

"Anything is possible, Sonic. Look at me; _you_ did this to me. You destroyed my hopes, you smashed my dreams to pieces... and now, twenty years later, here I am, back from the dead to wreak the same fate upon you."

Eggman's hand suddenly appeared in the screen, reaching towards his camera in order to turn it and point it in another direction. The next thing the hedgehogs in the living room knew, they were watching live feed of a cage full of young prisoners, all of whom were familiar to them, and two of whom stood out to their worried parents staring at the screen.

Sonic heard Amy scream behind him the second they both saw Miles and Lily imprisoned in the cage. The twins were staring back at the camera in the room they were occupying, and the blue hedgehog realized that his face must have been visible to them on Eggman's screen the entire time.

"Miles! Lily!" he yelled to his children. "Hang in there, guys! We're coming to get you all out of there!"

"Dad!" Miles called back, but at that moment, the picture on the screen in the Hedgehogs' house shifted again, and Eggman's face appeared once more.

"Shame on you, Sonic", the scientist said mockingly. "Giving your children false hope. As hard as you may be willing to try, you won't get them out of my magnificent space station base... alive, that is. They're my prisoners, and I'll be sure to keep it that way."

The blue hedgehog's expression quickly changed back from the concern he had shown his kids to his original rage.

"Eggman... you deranged rat!" Sonic muttered in the darkest, most dangerous tone he had ever used in his life. "I swear to you, if you hurt either of my kids, if you touch a single one of their quills, I will track you down to the deepest, darkest corners of _Hell_... and make you pay!"

Eggman didn't flinch. He simply smiled evilly, and leaned in close to his camera, his face filling the entire screen in Sonic's living room. The scientist then reciprocated his enemy's dangerous tone in a horribly chilling threat:

"I'll see you there, Sonic."

And with that, the picture vanished, and Eggman's symbol flashed up on the monitor once again, leaving the two hedgehogs in the house to stare blankly at the screen in shock.

For a moment, neither Sonic nor Amy spoke. They simply remained frozen in their places, contemplating the villain's evil words and the information they had just received. Within minutes of the end of the broadcast, Amy broke the silence.

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

The pink hedgehog swiftly covered her mouth with her hand and ran out of the room. Her husband, however, did not hear her retching a minute later, for he had dropped their daughter's charm bracelet and the red flag on the living room floor, rushed to the open doorway, and bolted outside into the sweet fresh air of the once peaceful neighborhood.

Sonic ran down the path and across the street to the grassy knoll in front of his house. Once there, the blue hedgehog collapsed to his knees, and screamed louder and longer than he had ever screamed before in his life. After the cry of agony and frustration had completely escaped his throat and left him hoarse, Sonic dropped his head to the ground and began to tremble in his curled position. As his tears fell gently to the grass, he made a silent vow that he would retrieve his kids, and that Eggman would rue the day he decided to ever show his face to the world again.

---

Meanwhile, back in the space station, the evil scientist tapped a few more keys on his keyboard, and the screens before him shut down. He then turned to his right and instructed his lineup of robots by the opposite wall to bring the Chaos Emeralds they had stolen for him. The machines immediately obeyed; they approached the control panel, and one by one they extracted the Emeralds from the compartments above their glass cases and deposited them in the board in front of the main screen with the blue gemstone Eggman had taken from Miles. When the last of the mechas had delivered its Emerald and retreated into the lineup again, the villain clapped his hands in glee and gazed fondly upon the array of brilliant colors in the board... until he noticed a detail of his collection that effectively wiped the grin off his scarred face.

"There are only six here", he said disappointedly. "Where is the last one?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, though, he realized what the answer must be. Turning slowly back to face the cage full of hostages, the scientist glared directly at Maria, who was staring defiantly back at him with a newfound hatred in her eyes. It was only too clear where the last Chaos Emerald was.

"Never mind", Eggman muttered. "I'll find a way to get hold of it. My collection won't be incomplete for long."

The villain stood up and stepped over to a door leading out into the space station's main hall. After sending his robots out before him, Eggman took one last glance at the young hostages glaring at him, then grinned evilly and disappeared through the doorway, the electronic door closing behind him with a pneumatic hiss.

---

Some time later, Sonic was standing outside his house, surrounded by his friends, who had all suffered the same heartache he and Amy had. He still could not speak after screaming his heart out, so Amy had been forced to explain the situation to everyone.

"Eggman is back", she had told their friends sadly, "and he's taken our children."

But everyone was already aware of this; they had even brought the flags the kidnapping robots had left behind to the meeting, as proof that they understood the severity of the situation. What the other parents did _not_ know about before Amy told them, however, was how Eggman had made contact with the Hedgehogs, and had actually shown footage of their kidnapped offspring being held hostage in the space station base.

The friends all turned to Sonic, who was standing quietly in the middle of the circle of people with his head down. The mothers were crying and the fathers were swearing under their breath at the mad scientist, but still the blue hedgehog would say nothing. After enduring a minute of his silence, his wife spoke up again.

"Sonic... we _can_ get our kids back. We already know where Eggman is; he told us himself he was in a space station. It shouldn't take us long to find it. Please, we have to go retrieve our children. Who knows what that black-hearted villain will do to them if we don't save them?"

The pink hedgehog gazed hopefully at her husband. For the next minute, nobody spoke, all eyes on the blue hedgehog staring blankly at the grass by his feet. Sonic let his wife's words run through his mind, until finally, he looked up, turned to face his best friend, and spoke a single phrase that simultaneously raised everyone's hopes.

"Tails, what do you have that can get us past the stratosphere?"


	17. In The Space Station

Chapter 17 - In The Space Station

The young hostages sat close together in the cage in Eggman's base, trying to comfort each other as they each secretly doubted how much hope there really was for them all. Miles sat with Maria in the corner and held his arm around her while she wept; Sonia hugged Aaron to keep him from crying; Rex paced back and forth in the prison; and Lily and Cheese did their best to keep the triplets entertained, so they wouldn't cry out for their parents.

After the young captives had been left alone in the chamber for nearly an hour, the door that had closed earlier opened again, and their kidnapper suddenly reappeared through the doorway, a robot entering the room by his side. Eggman walked over to the cage, glanced silently around at the prisoners staring back at him for a minute, then pointed to Maria and said simply to the machine beside him:

"That one."

The light gray hedgehog's eyes widened at the scientist's words. Eggman unlocked the cage door and opened it swiftly, and the mecha reached in to grab its target. Maria screamed as the mechanical arm extended rapidly towards her, unable to dodge its grasp in time. As she was pulled roughly towards the door, however, Miles intervened; he jumped and rolled in an attack move his father had taught him, and he crashed into the robot's arm, causing it to shudder and momentarily cease reeling in its target. He then grabbed Maria's hand and tried to pull her back.

The rest of Maria's friends began trying to free her from the mecha's grasp, pounding at the piece of machinery with all their might. Eggman, however, merely laughed, for he had a cruel trick up his sleeve. The machine, after taking several hits from the teenagers without receiving severe damage, shot an electric spark down its arm, which caused them all to fall back in pain and briefly stunned the light gray hedgehog in its mechanical hand. Maria's hand slipped out of Miles's grasp, and she was then pulled out of the cage and tossed into the robot's glass case, the hatches of the cage and the case being shut and locked behind her.

The mad scientist laughed evilly as he locked the cage door once more. Maria screamed in terror inside the machine, pressing her hands against the glass and staring helplessly at her friends. Miles rushed to the cage wall and desperately yelled back to her as the scientist and the robot turned away and began walking towards the door to the main hall:

"Maria!"

The sound of the light gray hedgehog's frantic screaming and struggling against the glass was heard until Eggman and his mecha vanished behind the closing door. Miles stared stunned at the doorway through which his crush had just been forced, until he felt his twin sister's hands being placed on his shoulders. Lily wanted to comfort her brother, but there was nothing she could say that would ease the horrible pain he was feeling in his heart. All the Hedgehog twins could do was rejoin their friends in the middle of the cage and hope against hope that their parents would arrive in time to rescue them all, especially Maria.

---

Tails led his friends to the runways behind his workshop. Many of his aircrafts were kept in the small garages lined up close to the landing strips, and the two-tailed fox made his way to the one positioned furthest away from the entrance to the open space. He entered the garage alone, and a short while later, he had a specially designed jet positioned on the main runway, ready for takeoff. This jet was powerful enough to pass through certain barriers in the atmosphere, and it had an advanced navigation system that surpassed any design available to the government, which would help the heroes locate the hidden space station base. Sonic was pleased with his best friend's efficiency; Tails always had an aircraft ready for any type of adventure.

"OK, Sonic!" the fox called determinedly from the pilot's seat. "Let's go get our kids back!"

Sonic smiled subtly at his little brother while Knuckles and Shadow climbed into passenger seats behind the pilot's, leaving a large row of seats behind them free for the youths they were setting out to retrieve. It had been decided that Amy, Roxie, Tikal, Crystal, Cream and David would stay behind while the group of four retired heroes took on the rescue mission together. Before he could join his friends in the aircraft, though, Amy called out to her husband.

"Sonic, wait!"

Sonic turned around as the pink hedgehog approached him. Amy stared into his green eyes with a stubborn expression, brimming with pure determination.

"I'm coming with you", she said plainly, in a voice that suggested there was no room for discussion. Sonic immediately shook his head in response.

"Amy, no!" he replied in an equally stubborn tone. "It's too dangerous. You're staying here."

"No, Sonic! I don't care if it's dangerous; those are _my_ children too up there, and you can't expect me to just stay here and wait for someone else to bring them back to me, even if that 'someone else' _is_ their father."

"Eggman has had twenty years to plan this out, Amy! We don't know what nasty tricks he's got waiting for us in his base. He didn't mess up when he told us where he's keeping the kids; he wants us to go there, I know it."

"So what if he does? There's nothing he can do that will keep me from trying to save my children. Eggman may have some awful traps set for us, but he doesn't understand how powerful a mother's instinct is. And if things get rough, I've always got my Piko Piko Hammer."

"Honey, this isn't like the past. There's a lot more at stake now."

"The situation may have changed, Sonic, but we haven't. Because somewhere deep inside, you're still fifteen years old, and I'm still twelve, and we have the same energy within us as we did throughout our adventures in the past. The difference between the past and the present is that we're wiser now, and this time, we have greater reason to be stronger than ever before."

"Amy..."

"I'm coming with you, Sonic. End of discussion."

Realizing there was nothing he could say that would change his wife's mind, Sonic sighed deeply in defeat. The two hedgehogs stared stubbornly at one another for a minute in silence, then, without taking his eyes off Amy, the blue hedgehog called out:

"Tails! Do you have an extra seat?"

"Always!" the fox replied excitedly, and pressed a button on the jet's control panel that triggered the appearance of another passenger's seat behind him. Sonic and Amy slowly smiled at each other, and the blue hedgehog took his wife's hands in his.

"In that case..." he whispered, winking at her, "let's go get our kids back."

Sonic and Amy joined their friends in the aircraft, Amy climbing into the empty passenger's seat beside Knuckles and Shadow, and Sonic taking the copilot's seat beside Tails. While his fellow heroes settled in the jet, the fox called out to his own wife standing with the others a short distance away from the runway.

"Roxie, keep an eye on the monitor I set up in our living room. When we find the kids, we'll call you there."

Roxie nodded to signal that she understood the order, and with that, Tails closed the jet and prepared the aircraft for takeoff. A few minutes later, the five heroes were soaring up past the clouds towards the space station pinpointed on the fox's brilliantly advanced navigation system.

Though no one said a word, the heroes in the rocket-like jet and their friends waiting back in Green Hill were all desperately sharing the same hope: that by the end of the day, the kidnapped children would all be safely back in their parents' loving embraces.

---

Miles sat in the corner of the cage, staring blankly ahead as terrible thoughts clouded his mind. This was all his fault. He and his friends were trapped, Maria had been taken away for some unknown purpose, and all their parents were heartbroken. All because he had made one stupid mistake. It was all his fault, and there was nothing he could do to fix the situation.

Meanwhile, the rest of the prisoners in the cage were faced with a new problem. The struggle that had taken place only moments ago had startled the rabbit triplets, and now the youngest of the three was crying. Lily and Cheese were doing everything they could to calm Emerald, but their attempts were made in vain. To make matters worse, the sight of their sister crying soon triggered an equally terrible outburst from Amber and Ruby, and the next thing the teenagers knew, all three triplets were bawling loudly. The sound was unpleasant for everyone listening, and that included the evil scientist watching them from another unknown room through his surveillance system.

"Will you stop that racket in there?" Eggman's voice boomed through the room. "It's making my head hurt! I can't think with those little brats whining so loudly!"

"They're four years old, Eggman!" Lily shouted back defiantly. "It's your fault they're like this now! They just want their parents! Leave them alone!"

"Ah, I'll shut them up!" the villain replied, and a moment later, a large hose-like laser machine was snaking into the cage from the ceiling and pointing its nozzle at Emerald.

Before any of the teenagers had time to react, a blast shot out from the machine. Fortunately for Emerald, her Chao guardian was faster than the laser blast; Cheese threw himself in the shot's path just in time to stop it from hurting the young rabbit, and he took the hit instead. The Angel Chao fell heavily to the cage floor, and the sound of Eggman's laughter began to echo throughout the chamber.

"Monster!" Lily yelled angrily at the nearest surveillance camera. The laughter merely continued as the machine retracted, until finally it faded out, and the room was filled with silence once again.

Lily picked up the fallen Chao as the triplets began to cry again and examined him for signs of severe damage. Cheese had taken the blow to the head, and he now lay dazed in the lilac hedgehog's arms, but it was just a surface injury. Once she was sure he would be fine, Lily tore off a scrap of cloth from the bottom of her skirt and wrapped it around the Chao's head. She then placed him gently beside the triplets, and turned back to her friends.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked them, worried. "We can't stay here like this. Who knows what that madman will do to us? Our parents are on their way, I'm sure of it. But... will they find us in time?"

For the past twenty minutes, minus the struggle to save Maria, Sonia had been sitting against the wall curiously studying the blueprint of the Tornado, which had not left her hand since she walked out of her father's design room earlier that day. She kept glancing between one detail of the design in particular and the electronic lock on the door of the prison. Lily's voice now brought the fox back to reality, and after taking one last look at the blueprint, Sonia rolled it up, rose to her feet, and answered her best friend's first question in a whisper.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do: we're gonna get out of here. Our parents _will_ find us, but it won't be here in this dark chamber, where there's bound to be a trap waiting for them. We'll meet them somewhere else in the space station."

Rex now ceased his persistent pacing and stared meaningfully at the two-tailed fox.

"So, what exactly is your plan?" he said curiously. The fox had expected her friend to ask her this, and in response, she simply stared into his blue eyes and winked at him.

Instead of answering the echidna's question, Sonia walked over to her brother and knelt by his side. She then spoke to him in her gentle yet stern sisterly voice.

"Aaron, I need you to do us a favor. I need you to play a song on your guitar for the triplets, in order to calm them down. Play that song Mom taught you last week, the lullaby. Can you do that for us, Aaron?"

Suddenly excited at the idea of having an important task on his hands, the preteen fox nodded eagerly to his sister, then opened the black case beside him and pulled out his acoustic guitar. After carefully tuning the strings, Aaron began to play a soft song on the instrument, and to the teenagers' relief, it caught the attention of the rabbit triplets and caused them to stop crying. The sight of the three girls sitting and listening quietly to the music not only calmed the teenagers, but it also made Aaron very proud.

It wasn't long before Eggman's voice sounded in the room again. For the second time in the last ten minutes, he made it apparent to the prisoners that he was annoyed with the noises coming from the cage.

"Music now? Do I need to send my laser out again?"

Lily noticed a clever glint in Sonia's eye, and suddenly catching on to the plan, the lilac hedgehog yelled out:

"It's either this, or three screaming four-year-olds. If it's bothering you, Eggman, just turn off your stupid camera!"

There was a pause, then the scientist's voice replied in an irritated tone:

"Fine! It's not like you'll be leaving your prison anyway. Rotten children..."

The rest of his muttering was cut off as the red light underneath the surveillance camera turned off. Sonia high-fived her best friend with a smile, then turned to the electronic lock on the door.

"Now for Phase Two", she muttered determinedly to her friends, and with that, the fox reached out of the space in the cage wall by the door through which their food had been given them and began pulling the lock around to the inside of the prison.

As soon as the lock was where she wanted it, Sonia began to study the electronic device carefully. For a minute, the only sound in the room was coming from Aaron's guitar; the young fox had finished his lullaby and was now playing a new song for the triplets. After obtaining as much information as possible about the lock's external design, Sonia turned back to Lily and Rex watching her, and spoke to the echidna in an urgent tone.

"Rex, I need you to break this lock open. There's a weak spot on the side of the piece; a strong enough blow will cause the whole front of the lock to break off. Can you hit it?"

Rex nodded and approached the lock without saying a word. He looked closely at the spot the fox had indicated, then placed his fist before it and took a deep breath. His father had taught him this martial arts technique, and after several hours of practice, he had finally managed to master it. After a moment of silence, the teenage echidna slowly pulled his fist back, then rammed it as hard as he could into the lock's weak spot.

He accomplished his task on the first try. The lock popped open under the force of the punch, and its interior was now exposed. Sonia smiled at Rex, then proceeded to examine the lock's inner workings.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed a minute later. "It's just like the security device on the Chaos Emerald case in the Tornado."

This was excellent news, for Sonia had learned a great deal about the different devices in the Tornado from her dad. Because of this, she was confident that she understood enough about the cage's lock to find a method of unlocking it, and consequently earning freedom for herself and her fellow captives.

"Lily", said the two-tailed vixen, turning to face her best friend, "lend me your clip for a minute."

The lilac hedgehog quickly pulled the flower clip out of her quills and handed it to Sonia. The fox took the clip in her left hand, turned back to the lock in her right hand, and carefully inserted it into the device. Sonia worked slowly, gently shifting the clip around into different spaces of the lock in her search for the sweet spot, that is, the one spot that would short-circuit upon the insertion of the small metal piece in the fox's hand.

After several minutes of silently waiting, Lily and Rex heard a small electric shock, followed by a loud click: Sonia had found the sweet spot, and the lock was now open. The lilac hedgehog and the echidna eagerly congratulated the fox on her accomplishment. The three teenagers then set about announcing to the other prisoners in the cage that the door was unlocked, and they could now escape.

Lily replaced the flower clip in her quills and took Amber in her arms; Rex took Ruby; Sonia took Emerald; and, after stashing his guitar and the blueprint his sister handed him inside his case and strapping it back over his shoulder, Aaron took Cheese. Before they all left the cage, however, the lilac hedgehog walked over to her brother, who was still sitting absently in the corner, and spoke to him strictly.

"Come on, Miles; snap out of it! We have to go! You can't help Maria by just sitting around feeling sorry for us all!"

Miles, startled by his sister's voice, returned to reality and realized that the cage door was open. Suddenly filled with a newfound determination, the lavender hedgehog stood up and followed his friends out of the prison, through the automatic door on the other side of the room, and into the great space station beyond. None of the young refugees knew what fate awaited them in Eggman's base, but of one thing they were all certain: it felt much better to be free of the terrible prison, for they now sensed hope rising in their hearts.

---

Around the same time the young hostages escaped from the cage, the five heroes who had set out to rescue them arrived in the space station base. Tails landed his aircraft in a dock on the underside of the station, and he and his friends climbed out of the rocket-jet to set off on their mission. Before leaving the dock, Sonic turned to his fellow heroes and spoke to them in a determined voice.

"Are you guys ready?"

Tails placed a headset with a built-in microphone on his head; Shadow held up the silver Chaos Emerald he had brought with him to the base; Knuckles knocked his clenched fists together; and Amy brandished her retractable Piko Piko Hammer for several seconds before stashing it once again behind her dress. Seeing the looks of equal determination in his friends' eyes, Sonic took these gestures to mean that they were all ready to take on the challenge awaiting them.

"Well, then", said the blue hedgehog with a smile, "let's go rescue our kids!"

And with that, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow and Amy rushed through the room's automatic door out of the dock and into the space station, setting off to face the most dangerous mission of their lives in order to recover what they considered to be the most important pieces of them.


	18. Lost and Found

Chapter 18 - Lost and Found

The young refugees hurried through the hallways of Eggman's base, searching around wildly for some path they could take that would lead them to their salvation. After running down several long corridors and strange rooms, however, they didn't seem to be coming any closer to finding a way out. Eggman's space station was a maze to them, and the longer it took them to find their way through it, the lower their hopes of escaping sank.

Nearly an hour after they had left their prison, the kids stumbled into a large room full of computer screens and control panels. Realizing they had come across one of the base's main control rooms, the teenagers placed the rabbit triplets gently on the ground and set about searching for some way to use the technology to their advantage.

Using a trick her father had taught her when she was younger, Sonia twirled her twin tails around each other and began rapidly spinning them like a propeller. This motion soon lifted her off her feet, and in seconds, she was airborne and flying around the higher portions of the computers, which would normally only be accessible by machine. On a separate control board on a high platform, the fox found a set of controls through which she could access the surveillance system. After activating the monitors in the room from the platform, Sonia floated back down to her friends and began manipulating the main computer.

"Sonia, what are you doing?" Rex asked his friend curiously.

"I'm trying to access the computer mainframe", she replied, without taking her eyes off the enormous screen before her. "From there, I can find every piece of information this base has to offer, including live feed from the surveillance cameras."

"But Eggman is an evil genius!" Lily exclaimed nervously. "He must have safeguarded his computer system somehow. Who knows if you'll even be able to access it?"

"Please", said Sonia with a sly smile, almost amused at the lilac hedgehog's words. "There isn't a single computer network in existence that a Prower can't hack into."

The fox feverishly typed commands and prompts into the large keyboard in front of her. Mixed images would flash across the screen while she worked, and her friends watched her in silence, waiting eagerly for the moment when she would break through the virtual barrier and reach the precious information lying on the other side. After several minutes of attempting to hack into the mainframe, Sonia reached the last obstacle of her task. On the screen, a large window had appeared, containing several strange symbols and a blank text box with space for five characters: a password.

"This last code is encrypted", the fox announced in dismay. "It's an old code; I can't hack past it. We'll have to input the right password in order to access the mainframe."

Lily thought back on the past few hours she and her friends had spent in the space station. She remembered the comments the evil scientist had made to them soon after they arrived, and the memory of one moment of that scene in particular brought the correct answer to the lilac hedgehog's mind.

"It's 'Maria'", she whispered to the fox and the echidna beside her, turning to face them. "Did you see the way Eggman looked at her? Did you hear the way he muttered her name? There's something about her that's important to him. The password is 'Maria'; I'm sure of it."

Sonia stared back at Lily for a moment, then replied in a slightly nervous tone.

"Well, typing out the name on the keyboard won't work. We have to input the password using the symbols displayed on the screen. But those are ancient runes, and I don't know how to read them."

"I do!" Rex suddenly exclaimed, startling the girls. "My dad taught me. I can show you which runes to input, Sonia."

The fox smiled and nodded curtly to the echidna, then turned back to the screen and watched as he pointed out the correct sequence of symbols to spell the name "Maria". She then selected the runes on the screen, and once they were aligned in the proper order in the window's text box, she pressed the last key on the keyboard to send the command. A few seconds later, several pictures began to appear on the screens around the room: live images from the surveillance cameras. The password was correct; they had accessed the system.

The teenagers wasted little time rejoicing over their victory, instead scanning the screens for signs of familiar faces. At first, the only person they saw on the screens was Eggman, who was busy looking over his plans in another control room and still hadn't noticed that his hostages had escaped. After a minute of searching the monitors, Miles, who had been standing silently behind the others since they all entered the control room, suddenly yelled out:

"Maria!"

Lily, Sonia and Rex turned around to see the lavender hedgehog pointing at a high screen near the top right corner of the set of monitors. Following his gaze, they soon located the screen he was indicating, and realized with a rush of shock that the light gray hedgehog was being held prisoner in a cage much smaller than the one they all had previously been occupying, located in a strange dark room. Miles stared up in fear at the image of his crush sitting helpless in her new prison with her arms around her knees, wishing more than anything that he could find her and rescue her from her unknown fate.

It wasn't long before everyone's attention was turned from the sight of the imprisoned Maria, however; a moment later, Lily's gaze wandered to another screen not far from the one she had been staring at before, and upon seeing the image on the monitor, she gasped loudly, pointed at it, and cried out:

"Look!"

The rest of the teenage hedgehog's fellow captives turned to face the monitor she was indicating, and everyone's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the image on the screen. Sonia's eyes widened as she stared at the monitor, for the picture she was watching was evidence that she was not the only person in the space station hacking into Eggman's computer system.

---

Some time earlier, the five heroes on their rescue mission were racing through the corridors of the space station, Sonic in the lead. They had been running through the maze of rooms and hallways for about half an hour, until finally they had reached a large door behind which lay their best hope of finding their children. Unfortunately, this door was guarded by a set of five armed robots, which meant that the heroes would have to battle their way into the room.

Each of the five friends took on one of the mechas, knowing they were all capable of taking on a challenge against one of Eggman's machines alone. Sonic ruptured one of the robots with a powerful Spin Dash attack; Shadow pierced one with his Chaos Spear attack; Tails flew above one machine and short-circuited it with a blast from a built-in miniature laser in his headset; Knuckles punched one to pieces using only his fists; and Amy completely destroyed one mecha with her Piko Piko Hammer. When the battle was over, the five mechas were lying in pieces, scattered across the floor.

The heroes then began trying to break through the locked door into the next room. Knuckles and Amy pounded at the steel door with all their strength, the echidna with his fists and the hedgehog with her hammer, until finally it gave way, and a large hole appeared in the barrier. Sonic kissed his wife swiftly on the cheek, and he led his friends through the gaping hole into what they soon discovered was one of the base's control rooms.

Once they were inside the room, Tails set about hacking into the computer system in much the same fashion his daughter was in another control room somewhere else in the station. The fox soon encountered the same obstacle as Sonia, and, like his daughter, he was given the correct information to overcome it, the password being given by Shadow and the sequence of runes by Knuckles. Within minutes, the five heroes were looking up at a wide array of monitors displaying live feed from the surveillance cameras throughout the base.

Like their kids in the other control room, the friends noticed an image of Eggman sitting alone in his main chamber studying his plans, supposedly unaware that they had arrived at the station. They also noticed that the kids were missing from the cage in the chamber from which the scientist had contacted Sonic. Before the heroes could begin to wonder where they were, however, another monitor soon caught their attention; Amy screamed and pointed to a screen somewhere to the left of the main one: the monitor for the camera placed in a different control room.

The five friends looked up and, to their intense relief, they saw their kids in the other room, facing a control board similar to the one they themselves were facing now. Tails quickly typed a few commands into the keyboard and located the correct room in the system. He then set about connecting his headset to the control panel in order to contact the kids. The job was done in a few minutes, and the fox soon began speaking into his microphone, his voice ringing out in the other room.

"Sonia? Sonia, sweetie, can you hear me?"

---

In the other control room, the young refugees felt their hearts leap at the sound of a familiar friendly voice. Sonia immediately replied to the call:

"Dad! Yes, we can hear you! We can also see you on the monitors!"

"Are you kids OK?" Tails continued urgently.

"We're fine! Cheese took a blast from one of Eggman's lasers, but Lily patched him up and he's OK now. No one else is hurt."

"Good! Now, Sonia, I want you to listen to me carefully. It's too dangerous for you kids to stay in that room; Eggman could find out you're there and seal off the room, trapping you inside. We're on our way to rescue you, but you need to meet us in a corridor somewhere halfway. I'm sending you directions now."

The teenagers waited in silence, and a minute later, a map of the space station appeared on the main screen, with a highlighted path leading to the meeting point Tails had set. Sonia studied the directions quickly, memorizing them almost instantly with her impressive photographic memory, then called out to her father again.

"Got it, Dad! We're on our way!"

"Be careful, sweetie! We'll see you soon."

And with that, Sonia shut down the computers and led her friends out of the control room, taking the path her father had set for them.

On the way to the meeting point, Miles couldn't stop thinking about Maria and the danger she was in. He was determined to find her, independent of the cost, and he soon found himself thinking back on the map Tails had sent earlier through the computer system. The surveillance monitors each had a code beneath them to indicate in which room the respective camera had been placed, and each code in turn was labeled on the map. Before his cousin had turned off the screen, the lavender hedgehog had caught sight of the room Maria was in on the map, and had rapidly determined the quickest path to it.

Now, as he raced with his friends down the base's corridors, Miles searched left and right for the exit he had to take in order to accomplish the task he felt he needed to fulfill. Maria was in trouble because of his mistake, and he would do everything in his power to set things straight again.

The refugees eventually reached the last corridor indicated on the map, and began searching around wildly for their parents. The triplets shivered in the teenagers' embraces, while Cheese stirred nervously in Aaron's arms. Before long, however, one of the young hostages caught sight of a familiar face; as her heart leapt and her hopes skyrocketed, Lily called out:

"Dad!"

After placing Amber gently on the ground, the lilac hedgehog rushed down the hall to meet her father, who was also hurrying towards her. In seconds, Sonic was standing in the middle of the corridor with his arms wrapped tightly around his daughter, who had begun to cry in relief. Not long after that, the rest of the group of heroes appeared in the hallway, and Amy rushed forward to greet the teenage girl in her husband's embrace.

"Lily!" she cried, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

"Mom!" Lily replied happily, and released her father so she could embrace her mother.

The rest of the group of refugees hurried over to the heroes, and soon, Sonia, Rex and Aaron were hugging their worried parents excitedly. Tails wrapped one arm around each of his two children and held them close, asking them persistently if they had been injured in any way. Next to the foxes, Knuckles wrapped his arms around his son and pulled him into a potentially bone-crushing embrace. The rabbit triplets and Cheese were then examined carefully and gently hugged by Lily and Sonia.

But through all the confusion of tearful and happy reunions, three of the parents noticed a rather disturbing detail of the encounter. Shadow was glancing about desperately, and Sonic and Amy were staring at each other nervously. Of the three heroes, the pink hedgehog was the first to voice her concern.

"Where's Miles?"

At these words, everyone looked up and stared at the Hedgehog couple. Turning to his side, Sonic whirled his daughter around, placed both his hands on her shoulders, and asked her in an urgent tone:

"Lily, where's your brother?"

Lily stared confused into her father's green eyes, then looked around. Realizing that her twin was no longer present in the group, she turned back to Sonic and replied nervously:

"I don't know. He was right behind us a minute ago…"

At these words, Sonia added a comment of her own to the conversation.

"He must have gone to look for Maria."

Hearing his daughter's name, Shadow turned sharply to face the young vixen standing beside Tails and spoke to her.

"Maria? Where is she?"

"She was taken by Eggman", said Rex, causing the black hedgehog to turn to him instead. "He took her away to a different room and put her in another cage."

"We can show you on the surveillance system", said Sonia. "Back in the control room we were in when you found us."

After the triplets and the Chao had been scooped up into the arms of Amy, Tails, Lily and Aaron, Sonia led the group down the path she and her friends had taken earlier back to the control room. Once there, the young fox activated the computers again and pointed out the monitor with the image of the trapped Maria. Shadow stared up at the screen in desperation, fear and rage rising within him at the thought of his beloved daughter being held prisoner at the mercy of a dangerous criminal.

A moment later, however, the black hedgehog was brought abruptly back to his senses. The next sound that was heard in the room came from Amy, who grabbed her husband by the arm, pointed to another screen, and shrieked:

"_Sonic_!"

Everyone else turned sharply to look at the screen the pink hedgehog was indicating, and immediately realized why she had screamed; running through one of the hallways of the space station, his face unmistakable on the monitor, was Miles. After briefly checking his son's location on the map on the main screen, Sonic glanced at his wife and his old rival, then turned to face his best friend and proceeded to give him instructions.

"Tails, Shadow and I are going out to retrieve Miles and Maria. Stay here with everyone else and call Roxie; she and the others must be worried sick. Then take everyone back to the jet in the dock. Wait for us there; we'll be back as soon as we have the kids."

Tails nodded to acknowledge his brother's words, and with that, Sonic and Shadow rushed out of the room and into the maze of corridors beyond the automatic door. As he ran down the hallways behind his friend, the black hedgehog clutched his silver Chaos Emerald tighter in his hand and thought determinedly:

"Don't worry, sweetheart; I'm coming for you."

This thought continued to ring relentlessly through Shadow's mind, shining like a beacon of hope as he followed Sonic into the dark hallways of the base and towards the shaded fate that lay beyond.


	19. Finding Maria

Chapter 19 - Finding Maria

Miles raced along the path down which he had strayed away from his friends, the image of Maria in danger stuck firmly in his mind. The lavender hedgehog held on to the memory of the map he had seen in the control room, following the directions in his head to find his crush. Before long, however, a loud noise caught him off guard. The teenager stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly to face the source of the sound.

"Miles!"

A second later, Sonic appeared in the hallway, running towards his son at high speed. A few steps behind him, Miles noticed Shadow hurrying down the corridor as well, and within seconds, both adult hedgehogs were standing before the teenager and staring at him sternly.

"Miles…" Sonic breathed, then, after hesitating for a moment, he grabbed his son and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Your mother and I were worried sick about you! Don't _ever_ do that to us again!"

"Dad!" Miles exclaimed, throwing his arms around his father and hugging him back. "I'm so sorry about everything! I didn't mean..."

"It's OK", Sonic interrupted. "You don't have to apologize. None of this is your fault."

"Yes, it is!" the lavender hedgehog replied, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "If I hadn't broken the rules and disobeyed you in the first place, none of this would have happened!"

The blue hedgehog released his son and looked him directly in his green eyes. Placing both his hands on either side of the teenager's face, Sonic said in his calmest tone:

"Miles, nobody blames you for what happened. Eggman has been plotting his revenge for years, and he would have put his plan into action sooner or later, regardless of anything you did. If anything, this is my fault; I'm the one he's seeking revenge on. And I'm sorry you had to be caught up in this."

The lavender hedgehog stared back at his father, then fell forward into his embrace again, a tear rolling down his cheek. After hugging his son for another minute, Sonic released Miles and continued in a stricter tone:

"Now you have to return to the control room. Everyone else is there; go back with them to Tails's jet and wait for Shadow and me to retrieve Maria."

At this, Miles took a step back from his dad and shook his head abruptly.

"No, Dad", he replied determinedly. "I'm going with you. I have to find her."

"Son, it's too dangerous! You have to go back. Shadow and I can take it from here."

"But Maria is here because of me! She's in trouble because of _my_ mistake! I have to help her, I have to set things straight. I know where she is; I can take you there. But I won't go back. I'm coming with you, Dad."

Sonic stared at the teenager in silence for a moment. Recognizing the same determination and stubbornness in his son that he knew in himself, the blue hedgehog then smiled, nodded curtly, and said simply:

"Lead the way."

Smiling weakly back at his father, Miles nodded in gratitude, then turned around and proceeded to lead Sonic and Shadow down his previous path to save Maria. They didn't know it yet, but the worst of the danger awaiting in the dark chamber where the light gray hedgehog was being held would not be oriented towards her.

---

Back in Green Hill, the group of four worried mothers and one worried father waited quietly in the Prowers' living room for news from the heroes on the rescue mission. As the friends were consoling one another and praying for their children's safe return, the monitor in the room began to flicker and brighten. A minute later, the five parents were looking at an image of Tails, staring at the borrowed surveillance camera he was using to call his home and standing in front of a large group of adults and youths.

"Roxie!" the fox called into the microphone on his headset. "Roxie, are you there, honey?"

Roxie stepped out of the group of parents in her living room and walked up to the monitor to answer her husband's call.

"Yes, Tails, I'm here!" she called to the camera placed over the screen. "We all are!"

"We have the kids!" Tails announced happily, and stepped aside to allow the parents in Green Hill a clear view of their rescued children.

At the sight of Sonia and Aaron waving to the camera in the control room, Roxie burst into tears of happiness. Tikal screamed excitedly upon seeing Rex, and Cream and David rejoiced when they saw Amber, Ruby, Emerald and Cheese safe in the arms of the teenagers and Amy. Crystal, however, did not celebrate just yet, for she had not found what she knew was the only sight that would ease the pain in her heart.

"Tails, where's Maria?" she asked the fox on the screen nervously. "I don't see her anywhere."

Tails glanced behind him awkwardly, the smile fading from his lips. He then looked back at the monitor in the room he was occupying at the white hedgehog's worried face, and spoke to her in an uneasy tone.

"Crystal... Miles and Maria are still missing. But don't worry!" he added quickly, before Crystal could have a chance to feel too concerned. "We know exactly where they are, and Sonic and Shadow are on their way to retrieve them right now. We'll have your daughter back to you soon."

"Thank you, Tails", the white hedgehog replied, tears falling down her cheeks. The fox nodded, and with that, the image on the screen vanished, and the monitor in the Prowers' living room returned to its original blank form.

Crystal looked down sadly, accepting the hug Roxie offered her. As her friend embraced her sympathetically, the white hedgehog began to wonder exactly where Maria could be, and found herself praying that her husband would successfully find their daughter and bring her safely home.

---

Tails switched off the borrowed camera, then sighed as he tilted his head to face the ground. For a minute, the fox simply stood there deep in thought, until his daughter's voice brought him back to reality.

"Dad! Look at this!"

Turning around, Tails noticed Sonia placing Emerald gently on the ground as she pointed to the main computer screen over the control board. The teenage fox and her father both stepped up to the screen as everyone else in the room watched them carefully. On the screen, a large three-dimensional design for a ray-like machine had appeared, and was now spinning slowly on the monitor.

Tails typed a few commands into the computer keyboard in order to zoom in on the designs. The images filled the entire screen, and upon closer inspection, the fox realized they were the plans for the same machine Eggman had used the last time he had tried to take over the world. The difference was that they had been greatly improved since his last world domination attempt twenty years ago. Suddenly feeling a rush of fear run through him, Tails found himself thinking urgently to his best friend:

"Sonic, wherever you are, you better hurry. Eggman is at it again."

---

In a dark chamber somewhere in Eggman's base, Maria was sitting in her prison with her arms wrapped around her knees, crying softly in despair. She was sure the mad scientist had taken her into a private cage because of Shadow, either as bait to lure him into a trap or as leverage to use in exchange for the last Chaos Emerald. What the young hedgehog was not sure of, though, was whether her father would even take the line Eggman was tossing him.

"Why should he come for me?" the light gray hedgehog thought sadly. "We had a fight, and I've disappointed him. If the Chaos Emeralds are so important that he had to keep them a secret from me my whole life, then there's no reason for him to trade one in now to save me. I'm just not worth the trouble."

The idea that her own father might not be taking the time to come rescue her caused Maria to sob miserably. She was sure she would be trapped in her cage for an incredibly long time, until she would finally be forced to face some horrible fate. The teenage hedgehog longed more than ever for her family, and she soon found herself wishing that she hadn't spoken so harshly to Shadow or left her house in such a rage. But it was too late now. Though she wished it with all her heart, she could not turn back time and make it yesterday. And now she might never see her family again.

As she cried desperately with her face in her arms, however, Maria suddenly heard a voice speaking to her.

"Maria..."

It was a female voice, sweet and gentle, and upon ceasing her sobbing and listening closely to the sound, the light gray hedgehog realized that it was the voice of the girl from her dream. Maria lifted her head, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and looked around wildly as the voice called her name again.

"Maria..."

A bright energy suddenly seemed to be emanating from the other side of the cage from the teenage hedgehog. Facing the wall opposite her, Maria answered the call anxiously.

"Yes, I'm here."

The light gray hedgehog could feel the energy on the opposite side of the cage growing stronger, and although no one actually appeared there, Maria could vaguely imagine the outline of a blonde girl standing before her and looking down at her with her sympathetic blue eyes.

"Maria..." said the girl softly, her voice sweet and melodic, "don't cry, sweetheart. You mustn't lose hope. Your father is coming."

Maria could not believe her ears. Those were the sweetest words she could ever hope to hear in this time of desperation.

"Dad is coming?" she breathed, hardly daring to trust that gentle voice.

"Yes", the girl continued calmly. "Your father is coming to save you. Don't lose hope, Maria; Shadow will rescue you. Have faith, sweetheart."

The light gray hedgehog felt tears welling up in her eyes again. As the tears began to fall, the energy in the cage began to move towards her, and soon she sensed what she was certain was the girl's phantom hand lightly touching her cheek. She then heard the girl's voice speaking softly close to her ear.

"Your father loves you more than life itself. He will do everything he can to save you. Have faith in him, Maria; he will rescue you, I know he will."

The teenager tilted her head slightly to her right to face the source of the voice. Stifling a small sob, she whispered curiously:

"Who are you?"

The energy seemed to flicker brightly for a second; Maria could just imagine the girl smiling. The voice then replied in a light and sweet tone:

"I'm your guardian angel, sweetheart. Someone who loves you and your father very much."

Maria pondered the girl's words, intrigued by what she had just said. The light gray hedgehog stared blankly ahead as the energy started to retreat from her and the angel's voice began to fade.

"Maria... Maria..."

"Maria!"

The last of the calls was spoken by a different voice, one that was considerably deeper and was coming from far away. The young hedgehog turned to face behind her, and looking through the steel net and glass of her cage, she saw a dark figure approaching from the shadows in the distance. The figure came nearer to the prison, and Maria saw that it had the distinct shape of a hedgehog, a fact which caused her tears to stop falling and her heart to skip a beat. As the teenager rose to her feet, the deep voice of Shadow the Hedgehog called her name again, louder the second time:

"Maria!"

Upon entering her preteen years, Maria had gradually ceased calling her father "Daddy", and had taken to calling him "Dad" instead. However, there were still some times when the young hedgehog was brimming with excess emotion, and would consequently refer to Shadow by the original name she had for him when she was a child. This was one of those times.

"Daddy!"

As Maria pressed her hands against the inner wall of her cage, her father came rushing towards her from out of the shadows and placed his free hand against the glass on the outside of the prison over one of the light gray hedgehog's. Shadow then looked deeply into his daughter's dark blue eyes and began speaking to her frantically.

"Maria! Are you OK, sweetheart?"

While the black hedgehog stared desperately at the imprisoned teenager, Sonic and Miles came rushing into the room from the same entrance he had taken. The light gray hedgehog glanced at her crush and his father, then turned back to face Shadow, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Dad?" she whispered disbelievingly. "You came for me?"

"Of course I came for you, princess! How could I not?"

"But... we had a fight... I thought..."

"You thought I would turn my back on you?"

Maria looked down at the ground, suddenly embarrassed for ever having thought her own father wouldn't bother to try and save her. Realizing that his daughter's doubts were a result of his own mistakes, Shadow glanced briefly at Miles, who was staring back at him with a meaningful look in his eyes. The black hedgehog then continued speaking to Maria in a calm voice.

"Sweetheart, you mean everything to me. I could never turn my back on you. I would give my life to save you."

The light gray hedgehog looked up at her father, his words lifting her spirits. Behind her, Maria could almost sense her guardian angel smiling brightly. Shadow then proceeded to encourage his daughter in a tone of determination.

"Don't worry, sweetheart; we're going to get you out of here. Just hang in there."

Maria nodded curtly to her father, and the black hedgehog stepped back to gaze at the cage itself. Sonic was already pacing around the prison, studying it carefully and trying to find a way to effectively break it. While the two adults stared at the cage, Miles took Shadow's place in front of Maria, positioning his hands over hers against the wall.

"Maria, hold on!" the lavender hedgehog told his crush. "You'll be out of there soon."

The light gray hedgehog stared sadly at Miles for a moment, then whispered to him, so softly that he could barely hear her:

"Miles... I'm sorry."

The lavender hedgehog understood Maria's words, and shook his head sympathetically in response; she had no reason to apologize. In that moment, Sonic and Shadow began leaping up and attacking the top portion of the cage, trying their best to rupture it. Sonic rammed into the prison in his Spin Dash attack, while Shadow used his Chaos Spear attack on the reinforced steel. The echoing noises these attacks were producing in the cage caused Maria to cringe and glance upwards in fear and alarm as she fell to her knees, but Miles called her again and pressed his hands more firmly against the glass while kneeling with her and gazing unblinkingly into her blue eyes.

"Don't look at them, Maria", he said calmly. "Look at me. It's gonna be OK. We _will_ get you out of here, I promise."

The light gray hedgehog smiled weakly at her crush and gazed fondly back at him. She trusted him completely, and she soon found herself pushing her own hands harder against the net of her cage, as though trying to slip through the steel and glass to touch the hands of the boy on the other side of the wall.

But just as Maria began to feel her fear slowly leaving her, something happened that caused it to come rushing back in a single horrible chill. All of a sudden, a great flash emanated from some point a short distance away from the cage and filled the entire room. The four hedgehogs were temporarily blinded, and as they all cried out in alarm, the light gray hedgehog sensed her friend being pushed away from her prison and supposedly tossed a great distance across the room.

When the flash subsided, the dark room suddenly lit up, and Maria looked through the net and glass of her cage to see Sonic, Shadow and Miles all lying sprawled and dazed on a level far below the floor on which she herself was currently kneeling, three flying mechas floating away from them and up towards the ceiling out of sight. Looking around, the young hedgehog then realized something she hadn't before in the dark: she was being held prisoner on a high platform in an enormous chamber. On this platform, a semi-circular control panel was positioned some feet away from the cage, and behind this panel, an electronic door could be seen, currently wide open.

As Sonic, Shadow and Miles recovered their senses and sprang to their feet, a dark figure stepped out of the open doorway and walked slowly through the shadows behind the control panel. All four hedgehogs stared at the figure in silence, watching it move into the light just behind the board. As soon as it was completely illuminated by the dim glow of the room's lights, the hedgehogs felt their spirits and hopes plummet rapidly, for the sight was the last one they wanted to see at the time, or at any time for that matter.

Visible just above the control panel, ominously lit in a manner that sent chills down the hedgehogs' spines, was the scarred and sneering face of Dr. Eggman.


	20. The Dark Truth

Chapter 20 - The Dark Truth

The mad scientist glanced around the room at the four hedgehogs, who were all staring back at him coldly. Laughing at the sight of Sonic, Shadow and Miles standing on the floor below, Eggman clapped his hands mockingly and spoke in an irritatingly taunting voice.

"Well done, Sonic! You've found your way into my central mecha chamber. And I see you've brought your old rival and your son with you. No doubt you've all come for this little prize I have here."

The sneering villain indicated the cage to his left, inside which Maria was still kneeling, staring desperately down at the three hedgehogs who had arrived to rescue her. In his rage, Shadow lifted the Chaos Emerald in his hand and clutched it tight. However, although the Emerald began to glow, the black hedgehog did not manage to achieve the effect he wanted, a fact which was noticed by his enemy. Eggman laughed again and wagged a finger at Shadow.

"No, no, Shadow. This is a no-warp zone. That's a little something new I added to my base. You won't be able to reach your daughter _that_ easily, I'm afraid."

The black hedgehog scowled up at the scientist, lowering his hand still holding the Emerald. Miles then stepped forward and shouted defiantly:

"Let her go, Eggman!"

The villain turned his attention to the lavender hedgehog staring angrily back at him. Grinning even more broadly at the sight of the bold teenager, Eggman continued speaking in his casual tone.

"Not so fast, young man. Before I give up this little gem I have, you'll need to give me a gem in return. Specifically, the one in Shadow's hand."

Sonic and Miles glanced briefly at the black hedgehog standing between them. Shadow looked down at the silver Chaos Emerald for a second before turning back to the scientist, but he didn't say a word. Sonic then faced Eggman again and asked:

"What do you want it for, anyway?"

"You still don't understand, Sonic?" said Eggman in a voice of amusement, turning to the blue hedgehog. "I need that gemstone in order to complete my collection. Only then can I put my brilliant plan into full action."

"Don't give it to him, Dad!" Maria suddenly yelled to Shadow. The villain behind the control panel laughed as he glanced at the light gray hedgehog, then at her father. He spoke to the black hedgehog without changing his tone.

"What will you do, Shadow? Will you listen to your daughter? Bear in mind, though; if you keep the Emerald, you will be forced to face a horrid challenge of mine, one that you won't be likely to survive."

None of the four hedgehogs in the chamber liked the sound of this threat. Sonic and Shadow glanced nervously at one another for a moment, until the sound of Eggman's overconfident voice continuing to speak attracted everyone's attention once again.

"But why should you worry about that, Shadow? It shouldn't be too difficult for you to hand a Chaos Emerald over to me. After all, you've done it many times before."

Shadow's and Maria's eyes widened simultaneously at these words. As the light gray hedgehog turned from the scientist on her right to her father standing on the floor below, the black hedgehog shouted in rage:

"Those days are behind me, Eggman!"

"Hardly! There's still some dark left in you, Shadow; I'm sure of it. You may have been able to convince yourself and those around you that you're a hero now, but I know for a fact that people don't change. The question is: are you willing to risk the lives of your daughter and your friends to preserve your false honor?"

Maria gazed nervously at her dad, suddenly frightened by those enigmatic words and the scientist's accusatory tone.

"Dad, what is he talking about?" she asked anxiously. At this, Eggman looked disbelievingly at the teenage hedgehog in the cage for a minute before turning slowly back to face her father again, a wicked smile creeping along his lips.

"You never told her?" he said incredulously. "After all these years, she still doesn't know who you are?"

Anger and hatred towards Eggman burned clearly in Shadow's red eyes, while mingled fear and curiosity gleamed in Maria's blue ones. The black hedgehog continued to argue with the scientist who had kidnapped his beloved daughter.

"I _have_ changed, Eggman. She doesn't need to know about my past."

"I beg to differ. Haven't you noticed? There are qualities about you that you unintentionally passed on to your daughter. Qualities you made great use of in your darker days, and which I intend to use now."

"What are you talking about? What are you going to do with Maria?"

"One of the key elements of my scheme was supposed to be the Master Emerald, but that particular part of my plan didn't work out. So I'll have to use your daughter instead. If you cooperate, I'll simply hand her over after you give me the last Chaos Emerald and she completes the task I have in mind for her. If not, I'll force the Emerald from you, keep your daughter, and use her to my advantages in the future. Once she understands who you are and what she herself is capable of, it should be simple enough to have her channel the power of the Emeralds for me."

"No! Eggman, you wouldn't!"

"Oh, but I would, Shadow", the villain sneered evilly. "Trust me, I would."

Shadow felt terror grip his insides with its icy hand. As the black hedgehog stared helplessly up at the platform, Eggman turned to Maria and spoke to her in a voice of false kindness.

"Maria, dear, how much do you know about your father, about yourself? Do you understand why you fainted after touching a Chaos Emerald? Do you ever wonder why you don't have grandparents on your dad's side of the family?"

"Eggman, don't!" the black hedgehog shouted urgently, but the scientist ignored him and continued speaking to Maria:

"My dear, your father and I have more in common than you may think. Did you know he named you after two of my own relatives?"

"Eggman, stop, please!" Shadow yelled, close to begging now. The light gray hedgehog in the cage stared frightened at the scientist for a moment before looking back at the black hedgehog staring up at both of them.

Eggman turned sharply to face Shadow again, the sneer gone from his scarred face. He pointed at the teenager in the prison and yelled out:

"Then _you_ tell her, Shadow! If you don't, I will. She _will_ find out about you eventually, and who better to hear the story from than her own father?"

Shadow realized he had no choice. He gazed sadly up towards the platform, while Sonic and Miles exchanged looks of fear and concern. The evil scientist stared coldly at the black hedgehog and continued in his commanding tone:

"Look your daughter directly in the eyes... and tell her _exactly_ who you are."

Shadow spared one last glance of cold hatred towards Eggman before turning to look at Maria. The light gray hedgehog was gazing at him with an expression of mixed fear and concern on her face. The black hedgehog stood in silence for a minute, then took a deep breath and began explaining to his daughter the truth about his dark past.

"75 years ago, a scientist named Professor Gerald Robotnik began a project to create the Ultimate Life Form. This life form was to be immortal, and was intended to serve for the greater good of humanity. The project was codenamed Project Shadow, and the end result of the professor's work… was me."

At these last words, Maria's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe what the black hedgehog had just told her. Her own father, an artificial life form? It couldn't be true. But the look of sadness and shame in Shadow's eyes confirmed just the opposite, and the light gray hedgehog didn't say a word, instead listening carefully as her dad continued his story.

"After I was created, I stayed in the professor's space station, spending much of my time wondering what my purpose was. My only friend was the scientist's granddaughter, a young girl named Maria Robotnik. She was suffering from a disease that was incurable at the time, and though I didn't know it yet, my purpose was to help her get well."

Shadow's daughter nodded slowly as she listened. She vaguely recalled a bedtime story her father once told her when she was seven, about a lonely hedgehog and his only friend in the world, a young girl named Maria. Although she had known all along that the story was about him, however, she had never realized the true significance of it until now, and as Shadow continued to speak, his words touched the light gray hedgehog deeply.

"Maria and I were inseparable; she was a dear friend to me, and I loved her very much. But when G.U.N. came to terminate Professor Robotnik's experiments, Maria and I were parted forever. She sacrificed herself to save my life, and before she sent me to the planet below the space station, she made me promise to help humanity to the best of my abilities. I promised, and with that, she launched me in a capsule to the planet below.

"For 50 years, I stayed in that capsule, trapped in a state of unconsciousness, until finally I was revived by none other than Dr. Eggman himself. I remembered very little of my past after awakening. There were only two details of my life that I could recall clearly: my abilities to use the power of the Chaos Emeralds, and the memory of my dear friend, Maria. From the day I was revived, I felt a fierce obligation to seek revenge upon the world, upon the people who had killed my friend."

"Dad..." breathed the teenage hedgehog in the cage, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Shadow looked away from his daughter in shame as he resumed his tale.

"I'm not proud of the acts I committed in the past, sweetheart. To repay Eggman for releasing me, I started working on his side. I retrieved Chaos Emeralds for him, and I even challenged Sonic on more than one occasion. I was dark, for all I had in my heart was anger, and all I wanted was revenge on the world.

"But eventually I was reminded of the promise I made to Maria. The anger I felt for the world vanished, and Sonic and I set out to save the world together. From that day, my life changed; _I_ changed. A new chapter in my life had begun, and I took that fresh start with the most peace and gratitude I had ever felt in my life.

"I started working for G.U.N., as a field agent. After one of my missions in Station Square, I met your mother, who was working for the newspaper at the time. She was seeking an interview from me, I was seeking recognition from her, but we both got more than we bargained for. We fell in love, we got married, and some time later... we had you. Our beautiful little girl, who I loved with all my heart from the day she was born, and who I've never stopped loving since."

Shadow looked up at his daughter to see she was now shedding tears. It was a lot of information to take in all at once. But there was more to be added to the burden still.

"I named you after the two most important people in my life: my dearest friend, and the professor who created me, respectively."

A memory suddenly flashed across the teenage girl's mind: the combination lock on the chest containing the Chaos Emerald in her house, with a key of five ancient runes... a key that was in her father's heart. Thinking back on the runes she had input in the lock, only now did she realize that she had been spelling her own name. The light gray hedgehog in the cage gazed absently at her father as she pondered his words and whispered her full name aloud, as though to confirm the fact:

"Maria Geraldine Hedgehog."

"Yes!" Eggman exclaimed suddenly, drawing everyone's attention again. "You see, my dear? You were named after two relatives of mine: my dear cousin and my beloved grandfather. Your father and I both recognize how wonderful they were. He and I are not so different after all."

Maria glanced coldly at the villain, then faced her dad again and asked him curiously:

"What about your abilities to use the power of the Chaos Emeralds? If you were created with those abilities, does that mean...?"

Shadow understood what his daughter was insinuating, and confirmed her doubts with a subtle nod and a concerned look.

"Yes, sweetheart. It seems that I may have passed to you more than the red highlights in your quills. The reason you fainted after touching the Chaos Emerald Miles showed you... is because you're especially sensitive to their power. You inherited that trait from me. Therefore, in theory, you should be able to harness the power of the Emeralds in the same way I can."

"Which is exactly what she will do", Eggman added, sneering again. At this, the black hedgehog turned to face the villain, and yelled to him in a voice layered with fear:

"No, Eggman! She doesn't know how to use the Emeralds! Please, just let her go!"

"She will learn!" the scientist retaliated bitterly. "If I join the Chaos Emeralds I already have near her, I'm sure it will come to her. She _will_ be able to harness their power."

"No! One Emerald was already enough to make her faint. If more of them are joined near her, it'll be too dangerous!"

"Well, you leave me no choice, Shadow! There is no way for me to obtain the Master Emerald; that rotten Knuckles and that mischievous Rouge will make sure of it. The way I see it, your daughter is the only alternative I have to channel the power of the Emeralds. Once I've put my plan into action, you can have her back, but until you give me that gem in your hand, she's mine."

Shadow considered the villain's words carefully. In fact, there _was_ another alternative to Maria. It was an option that required great sacrifice on his part... but it was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make. Clutching the silver Chaos Emerald tighter in his hand, the black hedgehog spontaneously cried out:

"Take me!"

Everyone else in the room turned sharply to stare at Shadow. The sneer quickly vanished from Eggman's face, and he raised an eyebrow as the black hedgehog continued desperately:

"Maria doesn't know how to use the Emeralds... but I do. Let her go, Eggman, and you can have me instead. I can harness the power of the Emeralds; I'll channel it however you want. Just _please_ let my daughter go."

No one listening to Shadow's plea could believe their ears. Eggman was clearly intrigued by the offer, but Sonic grabbed his friend briskly by the arm and said urgently:

"Shadow, no! You don't have to do this. We'll get Maria out of there some other way. We can take Eggman's challenge; he's probably bluffing anyway."

But Shadow was not going to take that chance, and everyone around him knew it, even Sonic. The black hedgehog shook free of his friend's grasp, and as he gazed up at the platform, he saw the mad scientist laughing and nodding his head.

"Very well, Shadow", he said in amusement. "You've got a deal. Step forward."

Maria watched in fear as all three hedgehogs on the floor below slowly took a few steps forward towards the platform. When they had reached a certain point on the floor, Eggman suddenly reached out and pressed a button on the control board before him. A second later, the light gray hedgehog in the cage was shouting to her rescuers:

"Look out!"

Sonic was the first to respond to the cry. Looking directly upwards, he saw a large cage similar to Maria's descending rapidly towards the ground over Shadow and Miles. In a mixture of lightning-quick reflexes and fatherly instinct, the blue hedgehog turned sharply to face his son, then leapt forward and pushed him out of the path of the falling cage a second before it hit the floor.

Miles fell to the side and rolled along the floor for a moment before stopping facedown on the ground. After recovering his senses, he stood up and looked back towards the spot he had previously been occupying less than ten seconds ago. To his horror, the lavender hedgehog saw that Sonic and Shadow were now trapped inside the large cage that Eggman had dropped over them. Feeling his insides writhe with guilt and fear, the teenager cried out:

"Dad!"

Miles rushed over to the prison and placed his hands against the glass. Sonic pressed his own hands against the steel net on his side of the cage wall, glancing wildly around at the walls containing him. Behind the blue hedgehog, Shadow was standing frozen to the spot, staring angrily up at the laughing figure of the evil scientist.

"Well, well, Sonic", Eggman taunted, "that was incredibly noble of you. Noble... but stupid."

Sonic and Miles turned from each other to the villain laughing down at the pair of them. As all four hedgehogs in the room glared at him, Eggman grinned and continued:

"Just as I expected; you've become so predictable over the years, Sonic. The challenge awaiting in the next chamber _would_ have been issued to you. However, since you insisted on taking your son's place in the cage, it seems you've unintentionally placed _him_ in danger instead. Now Miles will be forced to make the most difficult decision of his life, because you just _had_ to be a protective father. How pathetic..."

Sonic scowled at the mad scientist, while Miles stared up at him fearfully. Eggman poised his finger over another button on his control panel, sneered at the lavender hedgehog, and said casually:

"Miles Sonic Hedgehog... your fate awaits you."

And with that, he pressed the button on the board. The hedgehogs in the room turned towards one end of the enormous chamber, where a huge metal door was slowly opening to reveal what Eggman had referred to as the teenage boy's fate. As they would all soon learn, Miles was about to face the greatest and most dangerous challenge of his life.


	21. Don't Be a Hero

Chapter 21 - Don't Be a Hero

Sonic, Shadow, Miles and Maria stared fearfully at the door gradually opening on the far side of the chamber. When the metal door had lifted completely, a loud noise began to echo into the room from beyond the open doorway. A minute later, all four hedgehogs' eyes were widening in shock, for an enormous mecha was striding into the chamber, towering menacingly over their heads.

The machine stepped into the middle of the huge floor and stopped. Eggman laughed at the sight of his brilliant invention positioned in the center of the room, then pressed a few more buttons on his control panel. A large glass case lowered slowly from the ceiling and stopped just above the high platform. The case contained a large board facing away from the platform, which was holding the six Chaos Emeralds the scientist had stolen from Sonic and his friends. Evidently the villain had moved them from their case in the chamber where he had kept his hostages in order to show them off to his rivals now. This was a sign that he had known for a while that the prisoners had escaped, and he had been expecting his enemies to arrive in this particular room to rescue Maria.

Another control on Eggman's panel triggered a long mechanical arm, which reached down from the ceiling of Sonic's and Shadow's cage and grabbed the Chaos Emerald from the black hedgehog's hand. The arm then retracted into the cage roof again, and after traveling up the long pipe leading to the chamber ceiling and through a few more pipes in the roof, the silver gemstone was lowered by another mechanical arm into the glass case with the other Emeralds. As the second arm retracted, the villain laughed evilly and gloated to his archenemy:

"At last I'll be able to power my machine and set my plan for world domination into action again. And this time, you won't be able to stop me, Sonic!"

The mad scientist gazed happily at his complete collection of Chaos Emeralds for a moment, then turned to the lavender hedgehog standing beside the cage close to the side wall on the floor below.

"Alright, Miles, from what I understand, your greatest wish is to be just like your dad. Well, now the time has come for you to choose whether you really want to take that path."

Sonic and Miles glanced nervously at each other through the cage wall before turning back to the scientist and listening to his proposition.

"The hedgehogs I have in the cages are currently my prisoners, and the mecha is what stands between them and their freedom. Now you have a decision to make, Miles: you can turn and run, or you can stand and fight. If you run away, I will let you escape with your life; you can return home with your mother and sister, but Sonic, Shadow and Maria will stay here with me, and their fate will have yet to be determined. If you choose to fight the machine, I will release Maria immediately, but whether the four of you can leave my space station freely... depends on whether you survive the battle."

The lavender hedgehog felt a horrible icy chill run through him. He glanced wildly around the room, first at the laughing Eggman, then at Maria staring nervously back at him, then at the enormous mecha standing in the center of the chamber, and finally back at his father. Sonic gazed fearfully at his son and frantically shook his head, but didn't say a word. The hedgehogs turned back to the scientist as he spoke to Miles again with an ugly sneer on his face.

"My advice, young man? Don't be a hero."

"Eggman, you can't force him to make a decision like this!" Sonic suddenly yelled desperately to his enemy. "He's only fifteen!"

"So what?" Eggman shouted back defiantly, turning to face the blue hedgehog. "From what I recall, Sonic, _you_ were only fifteen when you had disrupted my evil plans several times over! If your son really wants to be like you, he will make this choice on his own."

The teenager glanced between his worried father, his frightened crush, and his newfound enemy one last time. He quickly weighed his options in his mind. If he ran away, he would be nothing more than a coward, and that was knowledge he could never live with. On the other hand, if he chose to fight the machine, the other three hedgehogs in the room with him had a chance of escaping safely. If Miles didn't survive the battle, at least he would have tasted the sweet life of adventure Sonic used to live, the life he so desperately wanted for himself. If he had to die, this was how he wanted to live his last moments: just like his father.

Having made his decision, Miles changed his expression from fear to determination and slowly nodded his head to the villain on the platform.

"I choose to fight", he called out boldly. At this, Eggman grinned, Maria gasped, and Sonic cried out desperately:

"Miles, no! It's too dangerous!"

The lavender hedgehog turned sharply back to his dad and spoke to him in an unfaltering voice.

"I can't run away, Dad. I can't leave you all here. I may never be a true hero, but I refuse to be a coward. I choose to fight."

Something in Miles's tone suggested to Sonic that there was no argument that would counter the teenager's choice. Sighing deeply, the blue hedgehog raised his hand higher on the net of his cage and said in a calm and encouraging tone:

"Son, you already are a hero. You may never have faced an actual villain before, but you risk so much for the people you care about, and _that's_ what makes a true hero. If you can remember everything I've ever taught you, you can beat this challenge hands down. I have faith in you."

Miles smiled weakly and placed his own hand on the glass of the cage over his father's.

"Thanks, Dad", he whispered. "I'll try to make you proud."

And with that, the teenage boy stepped away from the cage and faced Eggman again. Glaring at the evil scientist, he shouted out defiantly:

"I'll take your challenge, Eggman. But only if you keep up your end of our deal. Let Maria go, now!"

Eggman raised an eyebrow at the lavender hedgehog, then quickly pressed a button on his control board. Before anyone had time to react, the mecha standing in the center of the chamber whirled around and shot a laser blast directly at the cage containing the light gray hedgehog. The glass-and-steel prison exploded, and as it shattered into several small pieces, Maria's scream could be heard through the cloud of smoke that was now covering the spot where the cage had been only moments ago.

"Maria!" Shadow cried desperately, rushing forward and pushing his hands against the wall of his own prison. A moment later, the smoke cleared, and Maria could be seen kneeling and trembling in the middle of the debris of the broken cage, her hands over her face.

"There", Eggman laughed as he turned from the shaking Maria to the enraged Miles. "She's out of her prison now. Time for you to uphold _your_ end of the deal, young man. Are you ready?"

In fact, Miles could never be truly ready for the challenge he was about to face, but at that moment he was as prepared as he would ever be. The lavender hedgehog glanced back at his concerned father one last time, then walked into the center of the improvised arena and nodded once to the scientist.

"Excellent!" Eggman taunted gleefully. "Then let us begin!"

The evil villain suddenly shot his hand out and pulled a switch on the control board. The giant robot in the arena sprang to life, and thrust its enormous mechanical arm forth at high speed, aiming directly at Miles. Fortunately, the lavender hedgehog was quick-witted, and managed to leap out of the machine's path just in time to dodge the attack. The mecha punched a huge dent into the ground, then slowly retracted its arm and returned to its original standing position.

Eggman's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the chamber. Maria had screamed in terror during the machine's attack, and now she was staring stunned at her crush, who had rolled along the floor and sprung to his feet again. Sonic, in turn, had felt his heart jolt into overdrive when the robot had moved towards his son, and he now stood trembling with his hands pressed almost painfully against the wall of his cage.

Miles, determined to prove himself a potential hero, was not fazed by the attack. A second after the robot retracted its arm, the young hedgehog pulled into his dad's signature Spin Dash move, charging it up for a few seconds before shooting forth towards the mecha's leg. He managed to rupture a few metal pieces on the machine's foot, and the robot stumbled back a step or two in response. Miles had successfully scored a hit; he clearly had a chance to emerge victorious.

The battle raged on. Sonic, Shadow and Maria watched in fear as the hedgehog and the machine in the arena fiercely fought one another, each for their own cause. The robot was enormous and powerful, but Miles was agile and sharp. By using his father's famed battle techniques, the teenager managed to hold out for a surprisingly long time against his foe. He dodged laser blasts, avoided physical hits from the robot's limbs, and crashed into the machine several times, often breaking pieces off its figure. Everyone realized there was hope of the lavender hedgehog surviving the challenge, even Eggman, who was so disappointed by this thought that the smile had completely vanished from his lips.

But Miles had one disadvantage in the fight that the robot did not: he was getting tired. The poor teenager, as brave as he was, had never endured an actual battle before, and this one was really taking its toll on his limited stamina. After a while, he actually felt himself slowing up, and more than once, he was almost crushed by a melee attack from his opponent.

When Sonic noticed his son was faltering, he immediately tried to break out of his prison, but unfortunately, his attempts were made in vain. The cage had been specially designed by Eggman to resist the blue hedgehog's attacks, and no matter how hard Sonic and Shadow crashed against the prison walls, they could not rupture it the tiniest bit. They were trapped, and Miles was alone.

Nearly an hour into the battle, the dreaded turning point of the challenge finally came. Too exhausted to dodge the incoming attack, the young hedgehog was hit in the leg by a laser blast and fell to the floor, temporarily stunned. The mecha saw its opportunity and took it; reaching out its giant hand, the machine grabbed Miles, lifted him up, and began to slowly crush him in its grasp. The teenager squirmed in his opponent's clenched fist with all his might, but he couldn't escape the powerful metal fingers. The robot continued to squeeze the hedgehog, and before long he began to cry out in agony.

Maria, who hadn't moved from her spot on the platform since she was freed from her prison, suddenly felt as though a pin were being pushed deep into her heart. The light gray hedgehog turned her tear-filled eyes from the battle to the laughing villain on her right and shouted to him desperately:

"Stop it! Stop it, please!"

Eggman glanced indifferently at the young hedgehog kneeling a short distance away from him, an evil grin planted on his scarred face. He then turned back to his control panel and casually pressed a button on it. The mecha unclenched its fist, and Miles slipped out of the metal fingers and fell several feet to the ground. Upon impact with the hard floor, the lavender hedgehog collapsed and began coughing uncontrollably, no longer having his breathing constricted by the robot's mechanical hand.

For a moment, nobody else in the room moved. All eyes were on Miles, who was trembling and coughing terribly. Before the staggered hedgehog had a chance to recover, however, Eggman suddenly pulled another switch on his control panel, and his mecha sprang into action once again. The machine rapidly swiped its huge arm across the floor, sweeping Miles off the ground and tossing him several feet through the air at high speed. The lavender hedgehog crashed into the chamber wall, then collapsed to the floor below and stopped moving.

The realization of what had just happened induced great shock in the other three hedgehogs in the room. At the sight of the courageous teenager lying sprawled on the floor with his eyes closed, his head bleeding and his body covered in bruises, Sonic and Maria screamed simultaneously:

"_Miles_!"

But Miles did not move. Sonic pressed his hands harder than ever against the wall of his cage, wishing more than anything that he could somehow slip through the steel and glass and rush over to aid his son. The blue hedgehog gazed helplessly at the fatally wounded teenager, feeling tears forming in his eyes as he muttered desperately through his gritted teeth:

"Get up, son! Come on, get up!"

Maria stared between the young lavender hedgehog lying motionless on the ground below and the evil scientist laughing maniacally beside her. She struggled with the emotions writhing within her, unable to escape the feeling that this ordeal was entirely her fault. As a tear rolled down her cheek, the young light gray hedgehog glanced to her left at the shielded board containing the Chaos Emeralds.

"_The servers are the seven Chaos..._" a memory rang in her mind. "_Chaos is power, enriched by the heart... The controller is the one who unifies the Chaos..._"

"_Maria..._" came another memory, clearer than the first, "_you must uncover the source of Chaos power, in order to bring Control back to the world. Without Control, Chaos shall prevail, and the world will fall into darkness._"

The controller... Uncover the source of Chaos power... An idea suddenly struck her. Maria wiped the falling tear off her cheek, and switched her expression to one of determination. If this entire charade had begun by her means, then she would be sure to do whatever it took to make things right again.

As Eggman continued to laugh evilly at the sight of Miles's injured figure and Sonic's heartbroken expression, Maria carefully reached for a metal rod on the ground nearby, which had previously been part of her glass-and-steel prison. When her fingers were closed around it, she brought the piece slowly to her side, standing up as she moved. Eggman, distracted by the scene playing out below, did not notice the hedgehog beside him raising the metal rod in her hands to behind her right shoulder.

The most fortunate factor of the following sequence of events was the fact that Eggman had made a single mistake in his otherwise perfect plan. As it turned out, his own pride and desire to flaunt his genius to his rivals would ultimately be his undoing. In his eagerness to exhibit the Chaos Emeralds to his foes, the scientist had moved the precious gems from their thoroughly protected panel to a flimsy, thin-glassed case, which was currently holding them over the high platform. Although the glass covering the gems was somewhat reliable as protection, it was not strong enough to withstand a fast blow from a heavy object... such as the metal rod in Maria's hands.

The young hedgehog suddenly thrust the mechanical piece in her hands sideways, swinging with all her might. The rod collided with the glass of the case, which shattered under the force of the blow. Glass shards began to rain down upon the floor below, and the Chaos Emeralds were now completely exposed.

The energy flowing among the Emeralds began to emanate from the board out to the rest of the room. Because Maria was especially sensitive to this energy, she immediately collapsed to her knees again, dropping the metal rod and feeling suddenly weak. To her right, Eggman had ceased his laughing and turned sharply towards the source of the shattering noise.

Knowing she had little time before the scientist reacted to her rebellious move, the light gray hedgehog summoned the last of her strength and pulled the board holding the Chaos Emeralds out of its case, tossing it out and letting it drop to the floor below. Seeing the gemstones falling before his eyes, Eggman gasped and cried out:

"No!"

The evil villain rushed towards the broken glass case, but he didn't reach the platform railing in time to reach out and stop the board from falling. The panel with the seven Chaos Emeralds plummeted to the floor below, and upon reaching it, the glass shattered and the gems rebounded slightly, scattering across the ground close to Miles.

Eggman stared stunned at the collection of gemstones on the ground below for a moment, then turned angrily to face Maria. He took a step towards the weakened hedgehog and slowly lifted his hand, but at that exact moment, Shadow yelled out to him in rage:

"EGGMAN, IF YOU TOUCH HER, I WILL _KILL_ YOU!"

Looking behind at the black hedgehog staring fiercely back at him, Eggman could almost see fire burning in his eyes. The scientist lowered his hand and glanced coldly at Maria.

"I'll deal with you later", he muttered threateningly to her.

What Eggman did not realize at that moment was that he had a much bigger issue on his hands than having to find a new case for the Chaos Emeralds. The energy from the scattered gemstones had reached Miles, and he was now stirring slightly in his place on the floor. The lavender hedgehog slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head to look up at the platform. His father was watching him with an expression of mixed shock and relief on his face, his hands sliding weakly down the inner wall of his cage.

Miles gazed up at Maria, who was staring back at him through the railing of the platform with a newfound hope in her eyes. The teenage boy then looked directly in front of him, and noticed the Chaos Emeralds scattered before him. Feeling his spirits rise with determination again, the lavender hedgehog crawled slowly towards the gemstones, reached out, and grabbed the one nearest to him: the first Chaos Emerald he had ever seen in his life.

By the time his fingers were closed around the blue gemstone, everyone else's eyes were on Miles again. For a minute, no one moved, for they all sensed that something incredible was about to happen. The Chaos Emeralds soon began to glow, and as the others stared quietly at the young hedgehog, Maria's father suddenly broke the silence.

"What's going on?" Shadow asked, concerned.

But Sonic already knew what was going on. He stared transfixed through the reinforced steel net and bulletproof glass of his miniature prison at his son, who was beginning to tremble slightly from the force of the seven Chaos Emeralds scattered around him. As Miles closed his eyes against the energy flowing almost visibly through him, his father realized what was going to happen next. It was the same thing that had happened to him the first time the seven Chaos Emeralds had been joined in his presence.

The blue hedgehog suddenly turned to Shadow, who was still crouching a short distance behind him, and said only two words:

"Brace yourself."


	22. Chaos Control

**Author's Note: While picturing the following scene, please feel free to play the song "Live and Learn" by Crush 40 in your head. That's what I did when I wrote it.**

* * *

Chapter 22 - Chaos Control

Sonic stared transfixed at his son through the wall of his cage, hardly daring to breathe. Miles had his fingers closed tight around the blue Chaos Emerald, and was shaking on his hands and knees. Everyone else in the room continued to stare stunned at the trembling teenager, and the blue hedgehog felt a subtle smile begin to creep involuntarily along his lips as he muttered:

"Chaos Control."

The second the words were out of Sonic's mouth, Miles's eyes opened in a newfound surge of energy. The teenager rose to his feet, the scattered Chaos Emeralds rising with him as he suddenly screamed out. An eerie light began to emanate from the floating gemstones, surrounding Miles in a flash that filled the entire room. A flash of gold light.

As the rest of the people in the chamber shielded their eyes from the blinding light, the flash shone out through the open doorways and high windows of the arena. Somewhere else in the space station, the rest of the friends involved in the episode were rushing down a long outer hallway towards the dock at the end of the base. Before they had reached the end of the corridor, however, Tails yelled out and stopped everyone in their tracks, for he had just looked through one of the many windows lined along the hall and seen the gold light shining out of the large central chamber.

The group stared transfixed through the window towards the gold flash in the distance. The younger members of the party wondered aloud about what exactly was emitting this light, but the adults, having witnessed this occurrence many times before in the past, already knew what it must be. Tails, Knuckles and Amy all glanced anxiously at one another, for they were each thinking the same thought, and simultaneously worrying about what strange event could be taking place in that chamber.

"Come on", said Tails urgently. "We have to go back."

Following the fox's lead, the group made their way back to the control room they had just left. If they were going to find out what was happening in that chamber, they would have to watch the event through the surveillance system from the computers.

A few seconds later, the flash subsided, and the room returned almost completely to normal. As Sonic, Shadow, Maria and Eggman lowered their arms from over their eyes and looked towards the center of the arena, they noticed the main result of the Chaos Emeralds' energy burst: floating a few inches above the floor, staring up at his giant robot opponent with brilliant emerald green eyes, was Miles Sonic Hedgehog, in a form he had never taken before. The young hedgehog was no longer lavender, but instead boasted a bright gold complexion about his healed figure and upturned quills. It was a form his father had taken many times in the past, and which none of the heroes had thought they would ever see again: a Chaos Control super form.

The tables had turned; everyone knew it. Sonic was now grinning broadly at the sight of his son glowing in a powerful new state, pride rapidly replacing his fear. The seven Chaos Emeralds stopped glowing and collapsed to the ground, including the blue one that slipped from Miles's fingers. The young hedgehog glanced briefly at the stunned Eggman on the platform above, then at the hopeful Maria, and finally back at the enormous mecha. The corner of his lips curled the tiniest fraction up in a subtle smile as the full realization of the power he had acquired came rushing to his mind. Round Two was about to begin.

Miles suddenly flew up to the level of the robot's head, ready to face his challenge once more. Realizing that it was time to restart the battle, Eggman quickly recovered his senses, hurried back to his control panel, and pulled the switch on the board to activate his machine again. The mecha sprang into action, thrusting its arm towards the young hedgehog one more time. This time, however, Miles did not attempt to dodge the attack. Instead, he lifted his hand and caught the mechanical arm as it was swinging downwards. The arm stopped dead in its path, failing to move the gold hedgehog even an inch.

The teenager hesitated for a second, then tossed the machine's arm up, whirled around, and punched it with all his strength as it came back down. The force of the blow was enough to knock the upper portion of the mechanical piece clean off, sending it flying across the arena and crashing into the wall several feet to the left of the platform. The floor holding Eggman and Maria shook for a moment, and everyone else in the room gazed at Miles in shock.

The battle continued in a one-sided massacre. Every time the mecha tried to hit its target, the young hedgehog would either dodge the attack effortlessly or counterattack with a powerful move of his own, often damaging the machine further. The robot's creator was enraged by this turn of events, for he could see it was giving the other three hedgehogs in the room hope.

At one point during the fight, Miles managed to break off a large piece of the machine and lift it in his hands. As he floated high over the ground, the gold hedgehog spun several times, gaining speed, until he finally released the mechanical part and sent it flying towards his opponent's leg. The robot stepped back just in time to avoid being hit by its own piece, and the metal object zoomed quickly past the mecha, heading straight for the cage containing Sonic and Shadow. Seeing the machine part flying in their direction, the blue hedgehog swiftly whirled around, grabbed his friend by the arm and yelled:

"Look out!"

Both hedgehogs dropped to the floor, and not a second too soon. The machine part flew past barely two feet over their heads, shattering their prison before crashing into the chamber wall. Sonic and Shadow then looked up and saw, to their enormous relief and excitement, that the top of the cage was broken off. They were free.

It took the hedgehogs only a split second to realize the advantage they had received. Sonic immediately sprang to his feet and jumped over the ruptured cage wall, followed out a moment later by Shadow. The blue hedgehog raced along the back wall of the arena a safe distance from the battle, making for the collection of Chaos Emeralds still scattered on the floor. Upon reaching the gemstones, he then stopped, bent down, and took the blue one in his hand. As he stood up again, the hero lifted the blue gem determinedly, his thoughts fixed on his son and the most effective way he was sure he could help him in the fight.

When Sonic looked down at the Chaos Emerald closed in his fingers, however, he suddenly froze. A thought was nudging at the back of his mind, and it caused him to slowly turn his gaze up at the gold hedgehog floating high above his head. As the blue hedgehog watched his son dart back and forth through the air, he felt a small sensation of guilt rising in him. His son wanted more than anything to be a hero, a true hero, and now that he was finally getting an opportunity to prove himself, Sonic would not take that glory away from him.

The blue hedgehog looked down at the Emerald in his hand once more, then, with a proud smile, he released it and watched it fall to the ground. The second the gem hit the floor, Shadow appeared by his friend's side and reached for the silver Emerald nearest to him. Before the black hedgehog could take the gemstone, however, Sonic grabbed his wrist, gave him a meaningful look, and said sternly:

"No. Our time is past. It's Miles's turn to shine."

Shadow stared back at his old rival for a moment in mild confusion, then nodded once and pulled back. He understood exactly what Sonic wanted for his son, and as desperate as he was to rescue his own daughter, he wasn't going to argue with another equally determined father. The two hedgehogs smiled subtly at one another, then turned to the battle raging in the center of the chamber. Taking a deep breath each, Sonic and Shadow left the Chaos Emeralds lying on the ground and rushed into the arena together to join the fight.

Maria watched in awe as the three hedgehogs on the floor below the platform courageously battled Eggman's terrible machine. Sonic and Shadow crashed relentlessly into the mecha's legs, while Miles weaved swiftly around the robot's arms and ruptured its higher portions. The mad scientist tried his best to retaliate using his control panel, but no matter how quickly he pressed the buttons or pulled the switches, neither he nor his mecha could keep up with the incredible speed of the transformed super hedgehog.

When the machine was finally weakened to its breaking point, Sonic and Shadow ceased attacking it and retreated to the back wall of the chamber. They both sensed that the robot was about to collapse, and they decided to leave the final blow up to Miles. The gold hedgehog stared unblinkingly at his foe, studying it carefully as it staggered helplessly in the center of the arena. The teenager then spared one last look up at the high platform.

Miles's green eyes met Maria's blue ones, and for a minute, the two hedgehogs simply gazed fondly at each other in silence. Maria was grinning at her rescuer, hope shining brightly on her face. Miles, in turn, smiled subtly back at her, drawing courage from the unfaltering gleam of faith in her eyes. He would finish the battle, he would triumph over his enemy, he would save his crush. He would be a hero, for his father, for his friends... for her.

"_Power, enriched by the heart..._"

But Eggman still had one trick left up his sleeve. The evil scientist glared menacingly at the two teenagers for a moment, then turned back to his control board and pulled one last switch on the panel. A large laser cannon suddenly emerged from the heart of the mecha, pointed straight at the gold hedgehog, and released a huge and powerful white blast. Miles was pushed back by the great beam, and slammed into the wall of the chamber, pinned by the relentless laser blast.

The smile instantly vanished from Maria's lips as she suddenly screamed in terror. Sonic and Shadow sharply turned their heads up in alarm, but they could do no more than watch helplessly as the seemingly endless stream of white laser light pushed the brave teenager mercilessly against the wall. The evil villain laughed maniacally once again, certain that he had successfully achieved victory in the battle, and that the young hedgehog would be forced to give up.

But Miles would not give up. He had come too far to turn back and admit defeat now. The teenage hedgehog, still in his transformed state, began to push back against the laser beam and move away from the wall. Before long, he was flying forward against the blast, forcing the beam's energy to retract slightly backwards towards its source. In seconds, Miles was actually speeding through the beam's path towards the mecha, and the next thing everyone knew, he had dashed clean through the machine and emerged from its other side unharmed.

It was the final blow. The gold hedgehog's attack had severely damaged the mecha's inner workings, rendering it completely useless. As Miles sharply turned around and returned to the back wall, sparks began to fly from the robot's figure. Soon after that, the ruptured workings of the mecha began to short-circuit, and several seconds later, the entire machine exploded. Everyone in the room shielded their eyes against the explosion, and when the smoke cloud cleared, they looked back to see an enormous pile of broken mechanical pieces in the center of the arena. The battle was over, and Miles had won.

Maria screamed in excitement at the realization of her rescuer's victory, the grin returning to her face. Sonic smiled up at his son floating high over his head, feeling prouder of him now than he ever had before. Shadow joined the others in their happiness over Miles's accomplishment, relieved now that the battle was over and his daughter could be rescued. There was only one person in the room who was not happy with the outcome of the fight, for it disrupted his plans tremendously.

Eggman did not like to admit defeat. In the past, no matter how many times Sonic had destroyed his machines and foiled his evil plans, the mad scientist would always return with a new and more advanced scheme to put into action. He had never given up before, and he certainly wasn't about to give up now.

As the hedgehogs rejoiced over Miles's victory in the battle, the evil villain reached out to the far end of his panel and pulled a large red switch. Suddenly, the ceiling parted in two, each half sliding slowly towards its respective wall in the chamber. When the halves had parted completely, an enormous machine roughly equal in size to the destroyed mecha began to lower gradually into the room.

The hedgehogs all turned sharply to look up at the machine. It was a huge ray-like weapon, and it was clearly very powerful. With a rush of horror, Sonic immediately recognized it as a replica of the machine his archenemy had tried to use to take over the world twenty years ago, which he himself had destroyed. As the weapon continued to lower into the chamber, the blue hedgehog turned to the machine's creator and yelled out in rage:

"Eggman, you sick freak! Miles won that battle fair and square! You know it just as well as we do. Now you have to keep your end of the deal. Let Maria go, now!"

"Actually, Sonic", Eggman replied casually, "he did _not_ win fairly. His little damsel in distress just had to give him a helping hand. If it hadn't been for her, your son would have lost the fight, just as I had originally planned. If he had died, you would have been devastated, and that alone would have been the greatest prize I could ever hope to win. But now, because Miles had help in that battle, the deal is off. Maria stays with me."

At these last words, Shadow stepped forward and shouted defiantly:

"No! Eggman, I said you could have me instead. Let my daughter go!"

"I don't think so, Shadow. Do you really think I'm going to risk having you rebel against me? No, it's best to have a fresh and naïve young mind on my side. After I've dealt with you three, I'll keep Maria and teach her to be a greater agent for me than her father ever was."

The scientist sneered menacingly once more. Sonic and Shadow glanced nervously at each other, unsure of what to do now. Maria was trembling again, staring down at the other hedgehogs in terror. But despite the cold threats of the evil villain, there was still hope for the heroes.

Miles had not yet returned to his normal form. He was still floating high above the floor, gazing unfalteringly at his crush. She needed him now more than ever, and he would not fail her. From his point of view, this battle was not over yet. The final round was about to begin.


	23. Gold and Silver

Chapter 23 - Gold and Silver

The enormous ray weapon lowered completely into the chamber, stopping at the level of the high platform. Everyone in the room stared silently at it for a minute, the hedgehogs in fear, and the scientist in excitement. Sonic and Eggman then turned back to face each other, and the blue hedgehog spoke in a voice layered with hatred and rage:

"You can't do this, Eggman! You won't succeed; you never do. We _will_ stop you."

"I highly doubt that, Sonic", the villain replied in amusement. "You see, this time I have a much greater leverage over you. This time, it's not just your own life at stake. You won't dare to disrupt my plan, because if you do..."

By pulling a small switch on his control board, Eggman lowered a small laser weapon from the ceiling and turned it to point at Maria before finishing:

"... you will regret it."

Sonic and Shadow turned their attention to the light gray hedgehog on the platform, their eyes widening in shock. Maria could sense the weapon behind her and slightly to her left pointing at her, but she didn't dare turn her head to look at it. Instead, she kept her tear-filled eyes fixed on her father, as though silently pleading him to save her. But there was nothing that Shadow could do, for he knew that one wrong move on his part could cost him his daughter's life, and consequently the very meaning of his own.

Both adult hedgehogs turned slowly back to face Eggman again, too enraged to speak. The scientist laughed at their loss for words, and proceeded to tell them about his scheme in his normal casual tone.

"Now that I have your undivided attention, allow me to calmly explain my plan to you all. This machine you see in the middle of the chamber is the improved version of my last design for a weapon to take over the world. You remember it, Sonic; you destroyed the original one yourself, twenty years ago. You then destroyed my space station and rescued your friends, leaving me to perish in the explosion. Fortunately, at the time of the station's collapse, I was safely inside an escape pod, and although I was caught in the blast, the most damage I received involved horrible burns on my figure and a ten-year-long coma.

"Well, after I emerged from my coma ten years ago, I set about rebuilding my machine, and now it's finally finished. This weapon is already powerful on its own, but like its original design, it becomes virtually unstoppable when powered by the seven Chaos Emeralds. With this machine, I will finally be able to put my ultimate plan for world domination into action, and eventually build my great Egg Empire.

"So this is what's going to happen, Sonic. You will _not_ try to stop my plan from succeeding. Instead, you will stand perfectly still in your spot on the arena floor, and allow me to test my weapon on you. I will launch a blast from my laser directly at you, and if you attempt to dodge, if you attempt to counterattack, or if you move even an inch towards this platform to save Maria... I will turn the weapon on her next."

The blue hedgehog stared completely stunned at his archenemy. Eggman grinned evilly, then turned his attention to the black hedgehog standing several feet to Sonic's right.

"After I'm through with Sonic, I have another fate in store for you, Shadow. You, my formerly dark friend, will be returned to the capsule in which I found you twenty-five years ago. There you will stay in your original state of unconsciousness, until someone else comes along to free you again. Of course, that day won't be likely to come for at least another fifty years; I'll make sure of it."

Shadow scowled at the villain as he laughed maniacally again. Maria's eyes were now wide with terror, her helpless gaze still fixed on her father. Eggman then turned back to Sonic and continued excitedly:

"As for your son, Sonic... he can share the same fate as you. After all, he's always wanted to live like his hero father; I'm sure he won't mind dying like him too."

The scientist stared coldly into his rival's green eyes, a horrible grin fixed on his scarred face. Sonic gazed wide-eyed up at the platform, but try as he might, he could not see a way out of this dilemma. This was it; he had finally made his true last stand as a hero.

Eggman tampered a bit with the controls before him and activated the great ray weapon. The machine began to move slowly, turning and lowering slightly, until it was pointing directly at the blue hedgehog on the floor below.

"Any last words?" the scientist asked in a voice of false politeness.

Sonic looked directly above his head and caught sight of his son, still floating silently over the floor in his super form. The teenager glanced down subtly at his father, hidden behind the weapon and unseen by the villain on the platform. Miles winked once at his dad, the corner of his lips curling gently upwards... and with that, the blue hedgehog suddenly felt hope rising in him once again. Turning back to his archenemy with a fake expression of defeat, Sonic yelled back:

"None that I can say in front of the kids."

There was a moment of suspense, then, without warning, Eggman thrust his hand out to the center of his control panel and slammed his fist onto a large red button. The ray machine charged for a second, then shot a huge laser blast directly at Sonic. The blue hedgehog stood his ground, confident that there was no need for him to move an inch from his spot on the arena floor.

He was right. A split second before hitting its target, the shot was intercepted by the young hedgehog still harnessing the power of Chaos Control. Miles dove through the air at high speed, and stopped in front of his father just in time to save his life. The laser blast hit the gold hedgehog instead, and was immediately reflected off his figure to the side wall of the chamber, where it crashed and emitted a deafening bang.

Eggman gasped in shock, though he already knew why this particular scene had played out the way it did. Because the weapon was not being powered by the Chaos Emeralds at the moment, its blast was not strong enough to harm the transformed teenager. Therefore, Miles was safe, and evidently, so was Sonic.

The scientist suddenly turned sharply to face Maria. The light gray hedgehog was still kneeling with the small laser weapon pointed at her, and in his frustration, the villain decided to unleash his fury on her. The other hedgehogs on the floor below noticed him staring at the teenage girl, and in sudden alarm, Sonic cried out urgently:

"Eggman, don't you dare! I didn't move!"

But Eggman didn't care. He was tired of giving his enemies a chance to foil him. He was determined to make his ultimate plan work, and no one was going to stand in his way. Everyone around him would suffer now.

The scientist glanced back towards the arena, an evil smile returning to his lips. He then turned to his right and reached for the controls on the far end of the panel in front of him. Eggman was acting fast... but Miles was faster still.

The gold hedgehog flew up again and darted to the platform above as fast as his temporary abilities would allow. A split second before the villain pulled the switch to activate the small machine, Miles crashed into it and knocked it clean off its supports. As Maria screamed in alarm, the ray weapon dropped to the platform with a loud clang, sparks shooting from it as it lay useless on the floor. Once again, the young hedgehog had foiled Eggman's evil scheme.

The scientist was furious. Desperate to return his plan onto its tracks, Eggman reached for the last alternative he had to destroy his enemies: his ultimate weapon. But Miles was still one step ahead of him, and as the villain turned to the controls in the center of the panel, the gold hedgehog flew back to the center of the arena, darting straight towards the enormous machine.

Eggman began to turn the machine to point between the two adult hedgehogs on the ground, hoping to take them both down with a single blast from the weapon. Sonic and Shadow barely had time to react, but before the scientist could fire the shot, a flash of gold streaked through the machine at incredible speed. The nozzle of the laser was sliced off from the rest of the weapon, and the huge piece plummeted to the ground, crashing to the floor with an ear-splitting bang.

The blue and black hedgehogs stared wide-eyed at the broken laser nozzle lying several feet away from them on the arena floor, completely stunned. They then turned their heads slowly upwards to see Miles floating beside the rest of the machine, gazing down at them and smiling subtly. Sonic and Shadow grinned back at him, and they watched excitedly as the teenager turned to the enormous ray weapon and rushed towards it once again.

To the other hedgehogs' excitement and Eggman's horror, Miles used the same techniques on the ray machine as he had in the battle against the mecha only fifteen minutes ago. The gold hedgehog crashed into the weapon several times, breaking many pieces off its figure, until finally he managed to open a weak spot near the heart of the terrible machine.

The teenager saw his opportunity and decided to take it. After flying to the back wall of the arena, Miles turned to the weapon and studied it quietly for a few seconds. Sparks were shooting from it in every direction, and it was missing several portions of its design. Smiling subtly, the gold hedgehog then dashed forth at high speed towards the weak spot he had opened, and rushed through the machine in the blink of an eye. The next thing everyone knew, he had emerged unharmed from the other side of the device, and the machine was emitting even more sparks than before.

That was it. In the next minute, all of Eggman's hopes of his evil plan succeeding were shattered, along with his machine. The inner workings of the ray weapon began to short-circuit dangerously, and soon the entire contraption started to glow. Everyone shielded their faces from what they knew was about to happen next, a second before it happened: the enormous machine exploded, and pieces of the contraption were tossed in every direction.

Realizing that the key to his success had just been destroyed, the evil villain knew he had been foiled once again. Coward that he was, Eggman retreated out of the chamber, running through the open doorway behind the control panel and shutting the electronic door. The hedgehogs were left to face the new dilemma of large machine parts flying dangerously in all directions.

One piece of the exploding contraption flew rapidly across the air and crashed into the platform, where Maria was still kneeling. A piece of the platform ruptured, and the next thing she knew, the light gray hedgehog was sliding down the tilting floor and reaching out to the broken railing. Within seconds, she was grasping the metal railing for dear life as she hung perilously over the floor far below her.

A large piece of the great steel wall behind the platform broke off and began rolling down the slanted floor towards Maria. Before it hit her, however, it stopped seemingly of its own accord, and looking closely, the light gray hedgehog could vaguely sense a bright energy impeding the metal part from rolling any further; her guardian angel was clearly standing firmly in the piece's path.

Maria screamed in terror, catching the attention of the other three hedgehogs in the chamber with her. Sonic, Shadow and Miles all glanced up past the breaking machine at the platform, which was rupturing further by the second. The light gray hedgehog would not be able to hold on much longer, and her rescuers all knew it.

"Maria!" Shadow cried desperately, and began moving towards the platform in order to try and catch his daughter.

Before he had taken three steps however, the ray weapon hanging high above the floor suffered the largest explosion yet, tossing an enormous cloud of smoke and fire into the air that obscured Maria from everyone's view. The black hedgehog stopped in his tracks, staring wide-eyed towards the platform, until his friend grabbed him by the arm and urged him back.

"Shadow, look out!" Sonic yelled, and pulled his friend backwards just in time to save him from being crushed by a large falling piece of machinery.

As the two adults glanced nervously at the machine part that had almost hit Shadow, Miles stared into the explosion cloud directly before him. Through the flames and smoke, he could hear the desperate cries of his crush in peril. Without a second thought, the gold hedgehog dashed forward into the cloud and out of sight.

Maria felt her fingers slipping on the metal railing. Knowing it was only a matter of seconds before the bar slid completely out of her grasp, the light gray hedgehog shut her eyes tight, a tear rolling solemnly down her cheek as she wished harder than ever for someone to come and rescue her. A moment later, the teenager began to feel weak, as though the Chaos Emeralds had been placed near her again. Her fingers slid over the railing, and Maria screamed one last time before plummeting towards the floor below, her mind blacking out as she fell.

Just as Shadow leapt over the machine part before him and began to move towards the platform again, the final and most intense explosion emitted from the destroyed contraption. The entire chamber shook as more fire and smoke was thrown into the air, but through all the noise, the black hedgehog still managed to catch his daughter's last scream coming from behind the gray and red curtain.

"_Maria_!" he shouted again, but he could not move towards the source of the scream, for Sonic was holding him back in order to stop him from running through the potential death trap that was the arena.

The blue hedgehog pointed to the space above his head, causing his friend to look up and notice that Miles was not there anymore. Both hedgehogs knew he must have followed the sound of Maria's cries to rescue her, but they could do no more than wait and hope that he would catch her in time.

Sonic and Shadow watched the great cloud in silence, each one holding his breath in anticipation. After a moment, which seemed to last an eternity to both fathers, a bright light began to shine through the receding flames and smoke. A few seconds later, two figures appeared out of the cloud, floating high above the floor. Silhouetted against the fire behind them, they clearly had the shapes of two hedgehogs, one being supported by the other.

Miles, still in his super form, was glowing brightly as he remained motionless in the air, floating directly in front of the large cloud and staring fixedly ahead. In his arms, he was holding the delicate figure of Maria, who had her head pressed lightly to his shoulder and a tear poised seemingly frozen on her cheek. The gold light emitting from Miles was shining strongly over Maria, illuminating her fur from its normal light gray to a brilliant silver. Gold and silver, rising from the ashes.

Sonic and Shadow watched transfixed as Miles carried Maria gracefully through the air a safe distance away from the smoldering remains of the terrible machine. Landing softly on the ground, the gold hedgehog knelt down and gently placed the silver one in her laying position on the floor. Her eyes were closed, and as her head turned slightly away from him, the young hero reached out and wiped the single tear from her cheek.

Once he had made sure that Maria was safe and unharmed, Miles stood up slowly, watched carefully by his father. He then took a step back, gazing unfalteringly at his crush with his bright green eyes. No longer in need of the power of Chaos Control, the teenager closed his eyes and fell to his knees, his complexion changing gradually back from gold to its original lavender.

Exhausted from the battle and feeling his strength leaving him, Miles took one last look at Maria's serene figure lying peacefully on the ground before him... then closed his eyes again, collapsed to the floor, and finally succumbed to unconsciousness.


	24. A Hero's Welcome

Chapter 24 - A Hero's Welcome

"Miles... Miles..."

A familiar voice was sounding in Miles's head. It seemed to be coming from far away, and gradually growing nearer.

"Miles..."

Slowly returning to consciousness, the lavender hedgehog opened his eyes to see his father's face, upside-down and staring back at him with an expression of deepest concern. Upon realizing that his son was waking up, Sonic sighed in relief and broke into a smile.

"Miles..." he breathed happily. "Thank goodness! Are you OK, son?"

Miles lay still on his back for a minute, remaining silent as he gradually recovered his senses. Vague images flashed across his mind, until finally one thought came to him that caused his heart to jolt and his eyes to widen in alarm.

"Maria!" he exclaimed, suddenly lifting himself up into a sitting position.

The rapid movement caused the teenager's head to spin. Upon sitting up, he realized that he had a terrible headache. Miles placed a hand gingerly over his temple as Sonic placed his own hand firmly on the young hedgehog's shoulder.

"It's OK, Miles", the blue hedgehog said calmly. "Maria is fine... thanks to you."

The lavender hedgehog turned his head around to look at his father. Sonic was smiling proudly at him, and as Miles furrowed his brow in confusion, the blue hedgehog asked:

"Miles... do you have any recollection of what just happened? Of what you just did?"

The teenager looked down for a moment, deep in thought. As it so happened, the last clear memory he had of the episode that had taken place in the chamber was of the Chaos Emeralds glowing all around him; everything else that had happened after that was a blur to him. Miles looked back up at his father and shook his head slightly. Sonic nodded once and responded in his calm, understanding tone:

"That's normal. It was like that for me too, the first time _I_ used Chaos Control. Don't worry; it'll come back to you soon."

The blue hedgehog stood up from his kneeling position and extended his hand to help his son up. After rising to his feet, Miles gazed nervously at his dad, and asked him cautiously:

"Dad... what about Maria?"

At this, Sonic winked and pointed to a spot a few feet away on his left. The lavender hedgehog turned to his own right towards the space his father was indicating, and saw to his relief that his crush was safely on the ground. Maria was already awake, currently sitting up and being embraced by Shadow, who was kneeling by her side. The black hedgehog had his arms tight around his daughter, as though he never wanted to let her go again.

"Dad!" the light gray hedgehog exclaimed, laughing as she hugged him back. "Dad, you're crushing me!"

But Shadow didn't care. Now that his daughter was safe in his arms once again, he felt happier and more relieved than he ever had before in his life. He made this fact clear to Maria as he kissed her repeatedly on the side of her face and embraced her tighter still. The light gray hedgehog caught a brief glimpse of the faint spirit of a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes standing behind Shadow and smiling. The angelic form of Maria Robotnik winked and vanished, and Maria Hedgehog smiled subtly before turning her attention to her father again.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart!" he muttered in her ear. "Are you alright, princess?"

"I'm fine, Dad, really!" the young hedgehog replied as her father released her and looked into her eyes. "I'm OK, I promise!"

Shadow examined her closely. Maria was covered in scratches and bruises caused by small flying debris, and her arms were sore and bleeding after her rebellious act of pushing the Chaos Emeralds out of the broken glass case, as well as the task she had faced of hanging from the dropping platform for dear life. Aside from these minor injuries, however, the light gray hedgehog was fine. Convinced that his daughter was telling the truth about not sustaining major injuries, the black hedgehog then stood up and helped Maria rise to her feet by his side.

Miles glanced at his dad to his left, and saw he was looking back at him with a subtle smile still on his lips. Sonic winked once at his son, and the lavender hedgehog turned to gaze at Maria again. As he turned to look at her, the light gray hedgehog turned to look at him, and their eyes met.

Silence fell among the four hedgehogs standing in the vast chamber. The teenagers gazed longingly at one another for a minute, until finally Maria found the courage to take a single step towards Miles. Before moving any further, however, the light gray hedgehog turned her head around to stare pleadingly at her father. Shadow glanced between the two teenagers seriously for a moment... then finally broke into a smile and nodded once to his daughter.

Maria's face lit up at this gesture. Grinning broadly, she stepped back over to her father to give him a brief hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. She then rushed over to Miles and threw her arms around him excitedly, pulling him into a tight embrace. As Miles dazedly wrapped his arms around his crush, she turned to face his ear and whispered softly:

"My hero."

Before the lavender hedgehog could fully register those exhilarating words, he felt Maria lightly touch his cheek with her lips. Miles was so ecstatic that he almost collapsed again. Sonic noticed his son's knees weakening slightly at the light gray hedgehog's kiss and laughed heartily, though he didn't mention the fact to anyone. Miles glanced nervously over his crush's shoulder, and was immediately relieved to see that Shadow was smiling kindly at him. The teenager had successfully redeemed himself.

As the light gray hedgehog released her hero and gazed fondly into his green eyes, the door in the wall of the chamber closest to the four hedgehogs suddenly opened, and the rest of their group of adults and youths came hurrying into the room. Sonic, Shadow, Miles and Maria turned sharply to face the incoming group, grinning broadly at the sight of their friends. As Amy and Lily rushed to hug Miles and Sonia and Rex hurried over to check on Maria, Sonic spoke curiously to Tails.

"What are you guys doing here? I told you to wait in the jet!"

"We _were_ on our way to the dock", the fox explained to his brother, "but we went back to the control room after we saw the gold flash shining through the arena windows. We watched the whole scene from the computers in the room, through the surveillance system."

Amy, who had been tightly embracing her son and kissing his face repeatedly against his protests, suddenly stopped to look at her husband and add a remark of her own.

"We knew immediately that the light was caused by Chaos Control, but we had assumed it was being used by you and Shadow. When we saw on the screens that it was _Miles_ in a super form... we couldn't believe our eyes!"

Miles was released by his mother, but as soon as he was free from her grasp, he and Maria were swarmed by their close friends. Lily, Sonia and Rex gathered around the two victims of Eggman's plan to unleash their excitement on them.

"Miles!" Lily exclaimed incredulously as she hugged her twin brother. "That was amazing!"

"We couldn't believe it!" Sonia added, awestruck. "You were so fast, so strong..."

"How... How?" stammered Rex, his blue eyes still wide with shock.

Miles glanced briefly to his left at his crush, then turned back to his sister, his cousin and his best friend.

"I had help", he told them modestly, grinning. "I wouldn't even be here now if it hadn't been for Maria's quick thinking."

The light gray hedgehog smiled timidly at her hero, and the five friends continued to discuss the incredible event for the next few minutes. The adults discussed the same subject a few feet away from the teenagers, while Aaron remained close to his father, the Rabbit triplets gathered around Amy's legs, and Cheese lay resting in the preteen fox's arms.

Shortly after the remainder of the group arrived in the chamber, however, the conversations were interrupted when an enormous computer screen lowered from the ceiling and stopped just above the broken platform high above the friends' heads. Everyone fell silent as the scarred and furious face of Dr. Eggman appeared on the monitor, and his amplified voice echoed throughout the arena.

"This is not over, Sonic!" the mad scientist yelled angrily at the blue hedgehog, whom he could clearly see via his surveillance system. "You and your friends may have won this round, but I can assure you that I _will_ return to defeat you another day, and I won't be alone. My nephew and I will build the Egg Empire together. This is not the last you'll see or hear of the Robotnik family!"

Sonic smiled casually at the huge screen above him, and laughed as he shouted a reply back to his archenemy.

"That's OK, Eggman, because this isn't the last _you'__ll_ see or hear of the Hedgehog family! If you insist on returning to wreak havoc on the world, then I will return to stop you, and _I_ won't be alone either. So you can tell your nephew to look out for a new hero in the future: Miles Sonic Hedgehog."

It was probably the proudest moment of Miles's life. Not only had his role model referred to him as a hero, but he had actually implied that he would be carrying on the family legacy in the future: to fight the evil of the Robotniks. The lavender hedgehog felt the joy that comes to one upon realizing that their greatest dream has finally come true, and as Sonic turned around and winked at him, Miles grinned broadly and blushed profusely.

"Well, Sonic", Eggman continued in his fury, "you and your son had better watch out. You'll be hearing from me and my nephew in the near future. This is only the beginning."

And as the villain vanished from the screen and the monitor slowly rose to the ceiling once more, Sonic merely smiled and said calmly:

"Right you are, Eggman. Right you are."

The blue hedgehog turned back to face the rest of his group of friends, who were all watching him now in silence. Sonic hesitated for a moment with a smile on his face, then winked at them all and said casually:

"I think it's time we all went home."

The other parents all nodded their agreement. Sonic, Shadow, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Miles all picked up at least one Chaos Emerald from the ground some distance away, and with that, the large group of adults and youths left the chamber, hurried to the dock and the jet on the underside of the base, and returned home to Green Hill. It had been the most incredible adventure of their lives, and they would never forget it for as long as they lived.

---

From that day forward, life in Green Hill was never the same again.

Miles, Maria, Lily, Sonia and Rex were welcomed home as heroes. As news of their adventure spread rapidly beyond their hometown, they received recognition for their heroic deeds from the people all across the land, and two weeks after the incident in Eggman's space station, a celebration was held for them and their parents in Green Hill.

Miles and Maria no longer had to refer to one another as crushes. After returning home, the two hedgehogs stepped up in their relationship, and became boyfriend and girlfriend.

Maria joined Generation Beta. The band thrived throughout the rest of the teenagers' high school years, with Miles on electric guitar, Lily singing lead vocals, Sonia on keyboards, Rex on drums, and Maria on bass. They would practice their music on Saturdays, and the band even played a few shows during summer vacations. Most of the songs the friends wrote together were inspired by their adventures, and were dedicated to their hero parents.

Shadow completely changed his opinion about Miles. After the lavender hedgehog saved his daughter's life in the space station, the black hedgehog made it clear that he would always be welcome in their house.

A week after the adventure in the space station, Maria celebrated her Sweet Sixteen. She invited all her closest friends and their families to commemorate her sixteenth birthday with her at her house, and as a birthday present from her father, she started receiving lessons on how to use the Chaos Emeralds to warp time and space. Within a few months of training, Shadow successfully taught his daughter how to control the energy she felt upon touching the Emeralds, and before long, Maria fully mastered the technique of using Chaos Control.

Eugene Princeton, despite his everlasting bitter dislike for his rival, finally began treating Miles with respect. Never again did he dare make a snide remark about Sonic, nor did he provoke the lavender hedgehog in any way that would result in a fight.

Eggman's return was announced to the world. After his attempt for revenge failed, the mad scientist never again took on another world domination scheme... alone, that is. His nephew, Igor Robotnik, soon joined him in his plans to build his Egg Empire, and after a time, the younger of the evil duo took over as the primary villain of the Robotnik family.

Sonic, invigorated by the adrenalin rush he had felt while foiling Eggman's plot for revenge, came out of retirement and resumed his work as a hero. He was joined in his return by his former fellow heroes, and received five new additions to his team: the teenagers of Generation Beta.

The Chaos Emeralds were removed from their hiding places, though they still remained with their respective owners. Never again was there an imbalance of Chaos and Control in the world.

Miles Sonic Hedgehog finally achieved the dream he had always wanted since he was five years old: to be just like his father. He was fast, he was noble, he was courageous, and at long last... he was a hero.


	25. Epilogue

Epilogue

_Ten years later..._

Miles Sonic Hedgehog sat quietly in his chair, leafing through a scrapbook in order to keep his nerves under control. As he turned the pages of the book, memories floated casually across his mind. There were many pictures in the book from various phases of his life. The drawing he had made for his dad when he was five, photos of himself and his four best friends from their high school graduation, and his favorite: a picture of him and the love of his life, standing together atop the hill where they had shared their first kiss at the age of fifteen. In this particular photo, the two of them were standing on the hill surrounded by all of their family and friends, celebrating the happiest day of their lives... or at least, what had been the happiest day of their lives so far.

Miles closed the book and looked up to glance around the room. His mother, Amy Rose, was sitting in the chair next to him. On her other side was Roxanne Prower, and seated in a row of chairs in front of Miles were Tikal the Echidna, Cream the Rabbit and her husband David, and Crystal Hedgehog. Sitting in Cream's lap was her Angel Chaos Chao, Cheese.

Amy turned to her right and, noticing that her son was fidgeting in his chair, she placed her hand gently on his and said calmly:

"Don't worry, honey. Everything's going to be fine."

"I know, Mom", Miles replied while looking at the ground, "but I'm still nervous."

"Well, that's normal. I remember the day you and Lily were born; your father was a wreck. He was probably more nervous than _I_ was!"

Miles looked up at his mother and smiled to acknowledge her comforting words. The pink hedgehog then turned towards the entrance door and muttered to her son:

"Where _is_ your father, anyway? He should be here by now..."

At this, Crystal placed the copy of her published book on the table beside her and said calmly:

"Don't worry, Amy; I'm sure they'll be here soon. They wouldn't miss this for anything in the world!"

As Amy turned around in her seat and glanced anxiously out the window behind her, a door on the opposite wall from the entrance opened, and Miles's twin sister, Dr. Lily Rose Hedgehog, walked into the room. The lavender hedgehog immediately placed his scrapbook on a side table, stood up to greet her, and asked her nervously:

"Lily, how's Maria?"

"She's doing fine", the lilac hedgehog replied. "The doctor who did her exam sent me to tell you that she's eight centimeters along."

"Already?" Amy exclaimed, having overheard her daughter speaking. "The others are going to miss this, then!"

Just as she spoke those last words, however, the entrance door opened, and four people hurried into the room: Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Tails the Fox and Knuckles the Echidna.

"Did we miss anything?" Sonic asked his wife as she stood up to greet him.

"Almost", Amy replied, kissing her husband. "Lily just told us that Maria is eight centimeters along."

"We cut it close, then", the blue hedgehog laughed, turning to face his son and daughter.

"I still think I could have gone with you, Dad", Miles muttered indignantly to his father, but Sonic shook his head.

"Not today, son; today is your day off. You should stay here with your wife. You can't let Igor Robotnik ruin this day for you."

"But I could have helped you guys out!"

"No, Miles. We were fine without you. You wouldn't believe what Robotnik came up with this time! Trust me, son; you were better off here with Maria."

Miles reluctantly nodded in agreement, then turned to stare out the window as Amy spoke to the heroes who recently arrived, changing the subject.

"What about the others? Where are they?"

"Sonia just contacted me via the radio in my jet on our way back", Tails replied. "She said that the game and the concert are both finished, and she's bringing the others to the hospital now."

The pink hedgehog nodded and thanked her brother-in-law for the information. In an attempt to keep her own nerves under control, she then proceeded to engage in conversation with the rest of the group in the waiting room.

"Lily", she asked her daughter. "How's your husband?"

"Calvin is fine", the lilac hedgehog replied happily. "He just received a new case this morning. In fact, he's consulting with his clients somewhere else in this hospital right now. Apparently, he wants to get ahead on this case. You know how lawyers are."

"Lily, I've been meaning to ask you something", said Sonic curiously. "Why can't _you_ just deliver your brother's...?"

But Lily, who already knew what her father was going to ask, held her hand up to silence him and answered:

"I'm afraid that's not how it works, Dad. I would love to take this job, but I'm only a first-year intern. I'm not experienced enough yet. And in any case, I think I might take up Neurosurgery in the future instead. Well, either Neurosurgery or Pediatrics; I'm still not sure."

Sonic smiled and nodded to signal to his daughter that he understood. As Miles continued to stare out the window in silence, Amy turned her attention to her best friend.

"How are your girls, Cream?"

"They're doing fine", replied the light brown rabbit. "Right now they're at home with my mother. They all landed roles in the school play, each one chasing her own dream. Amber is singing, Ruby is acting, and Emerald is dancing. Tonight we're going to celebrate their being cast in the play at David's restaurant. I'm sure that one day the three will become famous together; it's what they've always wanted since they were five years old."

"Then I'm sure they'll achieve their dream someday", said a smiling Lily, who, along with her brother, had just noticed a small airplane landing on a runway some distance away outside the hospital window.

A short while later, the entrance door opened again, and three more people filed into the waiting room: Sonia Prower, Aaron Prower and Rex Echidna.

"Hi!" said Sonia almost breathlessly. "Sorry we're late! Mr. Echidna here just _had_ to go for the winning touchdown himself."

"I was open!" Rex retaliated indignantly. "My teammates threw the ball to me! Of course I had to go for the touchdown! And it was because of my play that we won."

"Oh, please! There were at least two other players open for the catch. It's so obvious you were just trying to impress your precious _Julie_!"

"Well, she _is_ my girlfriend! It's only natural that I would want to score a touchdown for her. I've got a good feeling about her. In fact, I think she may be the one for me. Didn't you ever feel this way about Eric?"

"Of course!" the vixen exclaimed, and held up her hand to show her friend the diamond ring on her ring finger. "Why do you think I said 'yes' when he proposed to me?"

"Speaking of Eric, when are you planning on getting married?"

"Sometime after he advances in his computer business and I finally manage to get my own airline going."

"Well, anyway, I might just ask Julie to marry me."

"You know", said the two-tailed fox, laughing casually, "back in high school, we all thought you would end up with Angelica."

"Angelica Bat?" the echidna exclaimed, confused. "Are you serious?"

"Well, she _was_ your high school sweetheart, and you _did_ take her to our senior prom. That's how it worked out for the rest of us: Miles and Maria, Lily and Calvin, and Eric and me. You two were great together. Plus, Angelica's mom really liked you."

"Of course she did", Knuckles muttered in a mildly bitter tone, more to himself than to the arguing young adults. "Rouge would have had a field day from the moment Rex proposed to Angelica. She would have loved to be a part of this family..."

Sonia and Rex glanced briefly at Knuckles sitting beside Tikal, then turned back to face each other.

"So you think Angelica Bat was the one I was supposed to be with?" the echidna continued, suddenly intrigued.

"No...", the fox replied in her most innocent matter-of-fact voice, "I think Angelica Bat is the one you are supposed to be with! Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against Julie Echidna. But let's face it: the fact that you're still friends with Angelica _has_ to mean something! And don't give me that look", she added, indicating her friend's expression of disbelief, "'cause you know I'm right! Mark my words: your future children will be echidna-bat hybrids."

"You know what?" the football player taunted, despite the telltale tinges of red now appearing in his cheeks. "Maybe I should just hire another pilot for my private jet. One who _doesn't_ have too many insights on my personal life."

"It would be a mistake", Sonia teased back. "You know I'm one of the best pilots around. Plus, you love having a friend constantly nearby, not only to give you advice, but to support you. Admit it: hiring me to carry you back and forth between your football games and your job as a Master Emerald guardian was the best decision you ever made."

Rex hesitated for a few seconds, then grinned at his fox friend in defeat. It was true; ever since Sonia had started working as his pilot, the echidna had felt as though every flight was an adventure in itself. In most cases it really was an adventure, for whenever the young adults of Generation Beta set off on a mission against Igor Robotnik, the fox was the one to fly their plane into the battle.

As Rex hugged Sonia sympathetically and the rest of the group laughed, Roxie turned to her son and asked him:

"Aaron, how was the concert?"

"It was great, Mom!" the fox replied, smiling proudly as he smoothed the creases in the tuxedo jacket he was still wearing. "My piano solo was one of the highlights of the concert!"

Tails and Roxie grinned and congratulated their son on his performance. Miles then turned to his sister and asked her:

"Lily, is it alright if I go in and see Maria again?"

At this, Sonic and Shadow requested to join Miles, and Lily nodded her agreement. She then led the other three hedgehogs through the doorway behind her and down the corridor to a private hospital room. Upon stepping into the room, Miles looked over at the single bed and noticed that lying on it, nine months pregnant and ten hours in labor, was his beloved wife: Maria Geraldine Hedgehog.

"How are you holding up, honey?" asked the lavender hedgehog, walking over to the bed and taking his wife's hand in his. Maria smiled brightly at her husband and replied:

"I'm OK. I'm in pain, but I'm still OK. I'm more concerned about what comes next, though."

Sonic and Shadow, who had followed Miles and Lily into the room, were standing a few feet away from the bed and smiling at Maria. The black hedgehog gazed fondly at his daughter and son-in-law, and said casually:

"I still can't believe this is really happening. It seems like only yesterday that Miles was stopping by our house to pick you up for the prom, Maria."

At this, Sonic laughed, turned to his left to face his old rival, and responded with a casual remark of his own.

"Oh, come on, Shadow! Ever since Miles and Maria saved each other's lives when they were fifteen, it's been only too clear where their relationship was going. They were obviously meant for each other. Admit it: deep down, you and I have always known that someday we'd end up being grandfathers to the same kids."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at the blue hedgehog, but laughed along with him nonetheless. He would not deny it; Miles Sonic Hedgehog was the best son-in-law he could ever have hoped for.

"It's true; we're about to be grandfathers. Don't you think we should have retired by now?"

Sonic laughed at the black hedgehog's words, shrugging indifferently as he replied in a voice of amusement.

"It doesn't matter what the calendar says; you're as old as you feel. And I don't feel a day over twenty-five."

Shadow nodded his agreement, then turned his attention back to the other hedgehogs in the room.

"Before I forget, sweetheart", the black hedgehog continued, addressing his daughter, "I told the rest of the field squad from G.U.N. that you went into labor. They sent their congratulations and had a large bouquet of flowers delivered to your house."

"Thank you, Dad", said Maria happily. "Did you also tell them that I'll be back to work with you all in about six months?"

"It doesn't matter how long your maternity leave is", Shadow replied sternly. "You'll be back on the field assignments when _I_ decide you're ready."

"But Dad, I know I'll be ready to work again by the end of the year!"

"_I'll_ be the one to make that call. Trust me, Maria; you'll appreciate having an extended vacation from being a G.U.N. agent. Leave the field work to me; soon you'll have a family to worry about instead."

Shadow eyed his daughter with a serious expression, and she looked down at the ground without saying another word. This was one of the main disadvantages of working with her father: she could never argue with her boss.

The five hedgehogs in the room kept each other company until Maria's next exam. The last report from Lily's superior doctor was that the light gray hedgehog was ready to be taken to the delivery room. After receiving wishes of good luck from their respective fathers, Miles and Maria were led to another hospital room to start a new chapter of their lives together. Their next great adventure was about to begin.

---

Some time later, Miles and Maria were sitting alone together in their private hospital room. Neither of them could stop grinning, for they were each holding a newborn baby hedgehog in their arms: twin boys. After the new parents had been alone with their children for a while, they invited the rest of their family and friends to enter the room.

The large group of friends filed cautiously into the room, so as not to wake the sleeping babies. Crowding around the single bed, they all gazed fondly at the twins, leaning slightly forward to get a better look at their appearances. The baby in Miles's arms was indigo in color with very faint red highlights in his quills, and hidden beneath his closed eyelids were green irises. The baby in Maria's arms was dark gray in color with highlights in his quills of a darker shade of red than his brother's, and he had dark blue irises.

As everyone beamed at the new family, Sonic casually asked his son:

"So... do you have names for them yet?"

At this, Miles and Maria glanced briefly at one another, then turned back to all their friends.

"Well..." Miles began, smiling in an almost mysterious manner, "ever since Maria and I found out we were going to have twin boys, we thought a lot about what their names should be. We wanted to give our sons names they could live up to, names they would be proud to call their own. And we realized that the best namesakes for our boys could only be found in our own families."

The lavender hedgehog turned to his wife and nodded, signaling her to finish for him.

"So..." said Maria happily, grinning proudly, "we decided to name the boys after their grandfathers."

Everyone in the room turned to look at Sonic and Shadow, who were now staring back at the group with expressions of shock on their faces. They had never felt so honored in their lives.

The group then turned back to face the parents on the bed. Miles indicated the baby boy in his arms and introduced him to everyone as Sonic Hedgehog. Maria then introduced the baby boy in _her_ arms as Shadow Hedgehog. And as everyone in the room gathered closer to welcome the newborn twin hedgehogs into the world, Sonic the Hedgehog and Shadow the Hedgehog exchanged glances and smiles of pride, both of them thinking the exact same thought:

"Generation Gamma?"

**The End**

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**Thank you to all my readers who have followed this story to the end and enjoyed every chapter of the fanfiction. Special thanks go out to my friends at The Ultimate Chao Garden, who encouraged me to keep writing and inspired me to write to the best of my abilities. Special thanks also go to SilencedFox86, a good friend and fan of mine here on this site, who has been leaving great reviews on this story that always lifted my spirits, and who also happens to be an excellent writer himself.**

**If you have grown fond of my fan characters while reading my story and are disappointed that** **this fanfiction has come to an end, I am pleased to inform you that this is not the last I will be writing of the characters of Generation Beta. I will be publishing new stories featuring these characters in the future, so if you liked this fanfiction, be sure to follow my work!**

**Thanks to everyone who is a fan of my stories and my writing; you guys rock!**

**- Blue Phoenix  
**


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